Ireland Archives - Iran News Daily

Ireland Senate chairman seek ties with Iran

reporter 1222 — Thu, 13 Feb 2020 07:00:54 +0000

TEHRAN (Iran News) – Chairman of the Senate of Ireland Denis O’Donovan described Dublin as a friend of Tehran and stressed the need for promoting bilateral ties between the two countries.

Referring to his visit to Tehran in 2018 as an extraordinary trip, Ireland Senate chairman said that Iran boasts of rich culture, civilization and literature and most of its cultural and historic sites have been registered as world heritage on the UNESCO list, IRNA reported.

Supporting multilateralism as a key issue in Ireland’s foreign policy, he said, “We are a friend of Iran and bilateral relations are longstanding.”

Iran’s Ambassador to Ireland Masoud Eslami, for his part, pointed to Iran’s powerful status in the region and world and said that US unilateralism has turned into a phenomenon in the world and the international community should count it as it is doing with terrorism.

The US government has endangered many international norms with its abusive behavior, and if all members of the international community do not cooperate and stand up to the challenge of American unilateralism, they will have to pay a great deal in the future, he said.

US policy of maximum pressure has no legal and principle basis and affects 82 million population of Iran, he said.

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Sinn Fein, Most Popular Party in Irish Election

reporter 1222 — Mon, 10 Feb 2020 07:55:06 +0000

TEHRAN (Iran News) – Nationalist party Sinn Fein won the popular vote in Ireland’s general election, ballot counts revealed Sunday, with the one-time political wing of the IRA disrupting a duopoly of center-right parties which have historically controlled the Republic.

After all 39 constituencies across Ireland were tallied Sinn Fein received 24.5 percent of the first preference vote, outstripping the opposition Fianna Fail party on 22.2 percent and incumbent prime minister Leo Varadkar’s governing Fine Gael party on 20.9 percent.

Ireland operates on a single transferable vote system and Sinn Fein ran a slate of just 42 candidates for the 159 seats contested, meaning its strong performance may not result in it becoming the biggest party in Ireland’s next parliament.

But the left-wing party started celebrating its surge after campaigning on issues of health care and housing.

“It’s official (Sinn Fein) won the election — highest popular vote,” tweeted leader Mary Lou McDonald.

Counting is expected to continue on Monday, with analysts saying it could take two to three days before full results are known.

Fine Gael and Fianna Fail have traditionally taken turns in power in the Republic.

“It seems that we have now a three-party system,” said Varadkar at the counting center for his Dublin West constituency, AFP reported.

“That is going to make forming a government quite difficult.”

Varadkar failed to take the first of four seats as the count unfolded, with a Sinn Fein candidate announced as the first new lawmaker in his region.

Varadkar was elected on the fifth round of vote counts, relying on redistributed ballots in a morale-bruising episode for the premier.

At 2315 GMT state broadcaster RTE reported that 60 of 159 seats were filled, with 29 going to Sinn Fein.

But due to ballot transfers and Sinn Fein’s smaller slate of candidates an overall seat forecast should not be extrapolated from the early set of lawmakers elected.

Leaders entered negotiation mode as it became clear the next government will need to contain more than one party.

McDonald arrived at the main count center in the capital to huge fanfare from supporters and was returned to her central Dublin seat on Sunday evening.

“This is changing the shape of an old Irish politics. This is not a transient thing, this is just the beginning,” she told reporters.

In the last election in 2016, Sinn Fein got 13.8 percent of the vote.

McDonald said the two other main parties were “still in a state of denial, they’re still not listening to what the people have said.”

The 50-year-old said she ideally wanted “a government with no Fianna Fail or no Fine Gael in it” and had made contact with smaller parties, but added: “I will talk to and listen to everybody.”

Sinn Fein’s flagship policy is uniting Ireland and the British territory of Northern Ireland, reversing the partition of the island of Ireland in 1921.

Varadkar reiterated his campaign position that he would not form a coalition with Sinn Fein because of its past links to the Irish Republican Army paramilitary.

“Nobody can be forced into some sort of forced marriage or forced coalition,” he said.

Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin was elected to his seat in the city of Cork. He has previously said he would not back Fine Gael in a “grand coalition.”

But on Sunday night he seemed to soften his stance against a potential coalition with Sinn Fein.

“This is not just a change election — it has changed Irish elections themselves for the foreseeable future,” wrote columnist Fintan O’Toole in The Irish Times newspaper.

“For a huge chunk of voters, change is being seen as something that comes from outside the system.”

Sinn Fein was “once inextricable from the IRA” and considered a “pariah,” he said, but younger voters, in particular, were drawn by the party’s promise of addressing income inequality.

Notably, an exit poll put Sinn Fein comfortably ahead with voters aged 18-24 and 25-34, with support at 32 percent in each age bracket.

But even once the make-up of the new chamber emerges, it could take much longer to cobble together a government.

Following Ireland’s 2016 election it took 70 days before a new minority coalition government was formed under Fine Gael.

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Sinn Fein Ahead in Ireland Election Polls

reporter 1222 — Tue, 04 Feb 2020 10:07:46 +0000

TEHRAN (Iran News) – Irish nationalists Sinn Fein have surged to the top of an opinion poll five days ahead of an election in Ireland that looks set to be a major breakthrough for the former political wing of the Irish Republican Army.

An Irish Times/ Ipsos MRBI poll published Monday found support for left-wing Sinn Fein at 25%, making them a clear leader, with support for center-right Fianna Fail at 23%. Support for governing Fine Gael was 20%.

Fine Gael and main opposition Fianna Fail both refuse to govern with Sinn Fein, citing their IRA links and opposing economic policies.

Sinn Fein, whose members were banned from speaking on Irish media until the mid-1990s before the end of Northern Ireland’s three decades of conflict, is part of a power-sharing government in the British-run province, which it ultimately wants to reunite with the Irish Republic.

The party has said it will not go into coalition government without a commitment to immediately start planning for a referendum on the unification of Ireland, a vote it would push to be held within five years, Reuters reported.

Approval for the government, Prime Minister Leo Varadkar and Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin all fell as Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald shot up seven points to 41% to become the post popular among all the main parties.

Despite the poll, Sinn Fein are unlikely to emerge as the largest party as it is running only 42 candidates, which is around half the number of candidates being fielded by both Fine Gael and Fianna Fail.

Sinn Fein would need to get almost all 42 elected to the 160-seat chamber to give it a shot at emerging as the largest party.

Getting such a return would be difficult for any party, analysts say. Ireland’s proportional representation system also favors parties running more than one candidate in larger constituencies.

A senior member of the Sinn Fein front bench David Cullinane responded to the opinion poll on Twitter by criticizing journalists who questioned his party’s strategy.

“We are standing enough candidates to be serious contenders for Government. The demand for change is heart-lifting.”

Earlier on Monday, Ireland’s national broadcaster RTE reversed a decision to exclude party leader McDonald from a televised debate scheduled for Tuesday evening.

The broadcaster had planned to restrict the debate to Varadkar and Martin, the leaders of the two parties it considered most likely to lead the next Irish government based on empirical data.

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Iran, Ireland discuss regional issue

reporter 1222 — Tue, 14 Jan 2020 16:44:37 +0000

Iran, Ireland discuss regional issue

According To Iran News, Irish President Michael D. Higgins and Iran’s ambassador Masoud Eslami met and held talks on the latest developments in the region.

Irish President Michael D. Higgins paid a visit to Iran’s embassy in Dublin on Monday and signed the memorial book laid out for Ukrainian unintentionally downed plane.

He also offered condolences over the Ukrainian plane incident to the Iranian nation.

At the meeting, the Irish President expressed his concern about unilateralism, increased instability, and insecurity in the region.

Referring to the history and civilization of Iran, he considered it the land of civilization and human culture.

He also welcomed Iran’s progress in the fields of science, higher education and women’s success at Iranian universities.

Referring to the constructive negotiations between the presidents of Iran and Ireland on the sidelines of the recent UN summit, Iran’s ambassador called ‘Hormuz Peace Endeavor’ (HOPE) an attempt to ease tensions and a way for dialogue between the countries of the region to acheive peace and security.

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UK Truck Deaths: Three suspects arrested

reporter 1222 — Sat, 02 Nov 2019 13:42:16 +0000

TEHRAN (Iran News)- Police in Vietnam and Ireland made three new arrests in the sprawling investigation into the deaths of 39 people found in a refrigerated truck container in Southeast England last week.

Two people suspected of organising a people-smuggling operation in Vietnam were arrested in Ha Tinh province following reports from 10 families there of missing relatives due to UK truck deaths, VTV television reported on Friday.

Colonel Nguyen Tien Nam, deputy chief of Ha Tinh provincial police in central Vietnam, was quoted as saying the suspects were directly involved in the case in which people paid smugglers to be taken to the United Kingdom and are now feared to be among the bodies found in the container.

Police said the suspects have been organising people smuggling in the area for several years.

The pair were accused of “organising and brokering for other people to go abroad and stay abroad illegally”, according to a Ha Tinh police statement.

In Ireland, a 23-year-old man was arrested in connection with the October 23 discovery in an industrial park in Essex, East of London.

Essex police in Britain, who issued the European Arrest Warrant on which he was arrested, started extradition proceedings to bring Eamon Harrison, of Mayobridge in Northern Ireland, to the UK to face charges of manslaughter.

A Spokesman for the Dublin High Court stated that Harrison appeared in court on Friday. He was ordered to be held until a hearing on November 11.

The bodies of the victims were found in a refrigerated trailer on October 23 in Essex after the container arrived from Zeebrugge in Belgium.

British police announced on Friday they now believe all 39 people were from Vietnam.

“At this time, we believe the victims are Vietnamese nationals, and we are in contact with the Vietnamese government,” Essex police Assistant Chief Constable Tim Smith said in a statement.

“We are in direct contact with a number of families in Vietnam and the UK, and we believe we have identified families for some of the victims,” he added.

Police initially announced that the victims were from China, but the focus shifted to Vietnam when families there reported that they had not heard from loved ones who were in transit at the time.

DNA samples have been taken from relatives in central Vietnam to help with the complex process of confirming the victims, but so far none of the dead have been officially identified.

The 25-year-old driver of the truck, Maurice Robinson from Northern Ireland, has been charged with 39 counts of manslaughter.

British police on Friday asked two other suspects, brothers Ronan and Christopher Hughes, to turn themselves in.

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‘Hendi & Hormoz’ to vie in 3 upcoming intl. film festivals

reporter 1222 — Wed, 18 Sep 2019 09:30:32 +0000

On the island of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf, according to local custom, thirteen-year-old Hendi is married off to sixteen-year-old Hormoz. Despite the fact that the young couple hardly know each other, they enjoy the beginning of their life together. However, events occur which darken their original joy and lead to unexpected outcomes.

Amini’s feature, which is a co-production between Iran and Czech Republic, will take part at the 7th Sharjah International Film Festival for Children and Youth in the UAE, scheduled for 13th-18th October.

The film has also made it into the lineup of UNICEF Innocenti Film Festival, to be held in Florence, Italy, on 25 – 27 October 2019.

‘Hendi & Hormoz’ will also take part at the 30th Belfast Film Festival in Ireland.

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سفارت ايرلند (Ireland)

reporter 1222 — Mon, 29 Apr 2019 17:06:14 +0000

سفارت ايرلند (Ireland)

آدرس: فرمانیه- کامرانیه ‏شمالی- بن بست ناهید- ‏پلاک ۵‏

تلفن: ۲۲۲۹۷۹۱۸

فکس: ‏۲۲۲۸۶۹۳۳‏

سایت: http://www.embassyofireland.ir

روز و ساعت کاری: ‏(امور ویزا) یکشنبه، دوشنبه، سه شنبه ۱۱/۳۰- ۸/۳۰‏

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‘Alphabet’ goes to Ireland’s ‘Still Voices’ filmfest.

reporter 1222 — Sat, 02 Jun 2018 14:00:45 +0000

Iranian short animation ‘Alphabet’ directed by Kianoush Abedi has been accepted into the screening program of the 4th Still Voices Short Film Festival in Ireland.

The 6-minute animated piece ‘Alphabet’, directed by Kianoush Abedi, narrates the story of people who have forgotten life and are separated from knowledge and truth. The animation depicts a nation that has forgotten the alphabet to life, cannot see, cannot hear, and cannot speak, but the words are waiting for them impatiently.

Established in 2014, Still Voices Short Film Festival is an international film festival based in Ballymahon, Co. Longford, Ireland. This year’s edition of the festival will take place from 16-19 August 2018.

The ‘Alphabet’ has recently snatched two awards at the 5th Speechless Film Festival in US and the 5th Festival Sayulita in Mexico.

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Iran, Ireland eyeing expansion of ties

reporter 1222 — Sat, 24 Mar 2018 05:30:01 +0000

Iranian and Irish authorities in an expert-level meeting underscored the two countries’ enthusiasm for further development of bilateral relations and cooperation in all fields, especially economic spheres.

The meeting was held between Iranian Ambassador to Dublin Javad Kachouiyan and Chairman of Ireland’s Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade Brendan Smith.

During the meeting, they exchanged views on promoting bilateral relations and mutual cooperation in all fields.

The two sides also urged boosting cooperation in the fields of information technology (IT), renewable energies, medicines, medical equipment, food and agricultural technology, leasing, aviation equipment and services as well as providing banking facilities.

In this meeting, Irish Minister of State for Employment and Small Businesses Pat Breen described Iran as a significant and strategic country in the region which boasts of its extensive capacities in different fields.

For his part, Iranian Ambassador to Dublin Javad Kachouiyan pointed to the amicable relations between Tehran and Dublin in all fields and said, “after the landmark nuclear deal inked between Iran and six world’s major powers (the five permanent members of UN Security Council plus Germany) in Austrian capital Vienna in mid-July 2015, golden chapter opened for the Islamic Republic of Iran in the way that the country managed to restore its relations with the outside world considerably.”

In the end, Kachouiyan called on Irish firms to play an active role in promoting economic and trade collaboration between the two countries of Iran and Ireland.

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Iran, Ireland Share Views on JCPOA

reporter 1222 — Tue, 03 Oct 2017 14:00:40 +0000

TEHRAN – The parliament speakers of Iran and Ireland discussed various political and economic issues in a meeting in Tehran, with the Iranian side highlighting the common view that the two countries share about the need to safeguard the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

Iranian Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani and Denis O’Donovan, the Cathaoirleach (Irish word for chairperson) of Seanad Eireann (the 60-member upper house of the legislature of Ireland), met in Tehran on Tuesday morning.

Speaking at a joint press conference after the meeting, Larijani said they discussed a range of issues, from the parliamentary ties between the two countries to regional developments and the threat of terrorism.

As regards the JCPOA, the July 2015 nuclear agreement between Iran and the Group 5+1 (Russia, China, the US, Britain, France and Germany), Larijani said he and O’Donovan both agree that the deal must be preserved and honored by all parties.

A major topic in Tuesday’s talks was the parliamentary cooperation between Iran and Ireland and ways to activate the parliamentary friendship groups, Larijani noted.

He added that the Irish side was briefed on the priorities Iran has set to attract foreign investment, expressing the hope that the Dublin government would accelerate efforts to remove the obstacles to banking interaction with Tehran.

Iran and Irelands are both concerned about the threats posed by terrorism, Larijani further said, noting that they discussed regional issues as well.

The Iranian parliament has intensified measures in recent years to strengthen ties with the parliaments of the other countries, including the European ones.

In June 2015, Larijani paid an official visit to the Republic of Ireland with a high-ranking delegation to explore avenues for the promotion of parliamentary ties.

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