Ireland | GlobalPost

African sex slaves forced to work in Irish brothels

Conor O'CleryMay 27, 2010 11:20Updated May 30, 2010 13:34

DUBLIN, Ireland — A founder of the Irish Republic, Eamon de Valera, famously idealized Ireland 70 years ago as an innocent land of saints and scholars, whose villages were joyous with the laughter of happy maidens. If he came back today he would be shocked to find that a village in Ireland is just as likely to contain a brothel, populated by sex slaves from Africa. Despite its isolation off the western edge of Europe, Ireland is now a destination for the trafficking of young women from Africa and eastern Europe to work as prostitutes.

Northern Ireland voters reject Mr. Robinson

Conor O'CleryMay 7, 2010 11:22Updated May 30, 2010 13:32

DUBLIN, Ireland ─ One of the biggest shocks in the United Kingdom's general election came in Belfast, where the leader of Northern Ireland’s biggest party lost the parliamentary seat he has kept warm for 31 years. Peter Robinson, who heads the Democratic Unionist Party, conceded defeat in East Belfast to Naomi Long, deputy leader of the moderate Alliance party, which straddles the sectarian divide in Northern Ireland.

Why David Cameron visited Northern Ireland

Conor O'CleryMay 4, 2010 17:19Updated May 30, 2010 13:32

BELFAST, Northern Ireland ─ British Conservative leader David Cameron visited Northern Ireland Tuesday, but people here are scratching their heads and asking, why did he bother?

Ireland's head shops under attack

Conor O'CleryApril 28, 2010 06:43Updated May 30, 2010 13:31

DUBLIN, Ireland ─ It started with an explosion that destroyed the Nirvana shop in Dublin’s Capel Street on Feb. 12. Five days later a Molotov cocktail was thrown into the Happy Hippy store in North Frederick Street. Since then seven retail outlets with similar exotic names have been attacked with incendiary devices in different parts of Ireland, the latest being the Magic Bus Stop in Dundalk on April 15.

Ireland's new hero: a financial regulator

Conor O'CleryApril 21, 2010 06:23Updated May 30, 2010 13:30

DUBLIN, Ireland — In the middle of its worst-ever financial crisis, Ireland has found an unlikely new hero, who has secured that status partly by facing down one of the country’s most popular business tycoons. The latest national icon is Matthew Elderfield, an Englishman recruited last year from Bermuda, where he was financial watchdog, to become Ireland’s Financial Regulator. His mission could be defined as ending Ireland’s crony capitalism — otherwise known as “light-touch” regulation.

Stranded Irish find creative travel solutions

Conor OCleryApril 19, 2010 08:04

Dublin — As Ireland is an island off an island off the continent of Europe, it is suffering some of the worst of the travel nightmares due to the closure of airports because of Volcanic ash from Iceland. Stranded Irish people all over the world are facing the challenge of getting to French ports, crossing the English Channel and then traversing England to take a ferry back across the Irish sea. In normal times that would be tedious enough. However, continental trains are fully booked, rental car lots empty, and ferry terminals overwhelmed.

Volcano ash cloud hits airline, shipping, travel industries

Paul AmesApril 16, 2010 12:36Updated May 30, 2010 13:29

BRUSSELS, Belgium — Bumping into friends in the neighborhood around the European Union’s headquarters on Friday morning was enough to illustrate the extent of the disruption caused by the volcanic cloud drifting over Europe. There was the United Nations negotiator forced to cancel a trip to Sudan; then the Estonian woman whose diplomat husband was stranded in Moscow; a business writer unable to cover key EU finance talks in Madrid; an EU official seeking overland alternatives to a planned flight home to France for the weekend.

Europe reacts to spreading ash cloud

News DeskApril 15, 2010 14:59Updated May 30, 2010 13:29

BOSTON — Flights were grounded across Europe today as a spew of volcanic ash from Iceland's Eyjafjallajokull spread over the continent. GlobalPost's correspondents in the affected countries sent their reactions: Conor O'Clery reports that the only way out of Ireland is by boat and that the summer of 1816 holds a worrisome precedent.

No way off the island of Ireland, unless by boat

Conor OCleryApril 15, 2010 11:58

DUBLIN — It’s not what you would expect in Ireland, to be cut off by air because of volcanic ash. All the airports, Dublin, Cork, Shannon, Knock and Belfast are closed indefinitely. The only way on or off the island is by boat. The radio news broadcasts are warning people not to think of going to the airports. We are hearing heart-rending stories of people unable to attend funerals and weddings overseas, never mind go on pre-paid holidays.

The priest sex abuse scandal is closing in on the pope

C.M. SennottApril 11, 2010 08:21Updated May 30, 2010 13:28