It was a moment filled with honor and acclaims for the former US president Bill Clinton, when many enthusiastic Irish Americans gathered at Gallagher’s steakhouse in midtown, Manhattan, to applaud his work for peace process in Northern Ireland. Auspiciously, the event also commemorated 10-year anniversary to mark the good Friday Accords. Clinton, while speaking on the occasion thanked for the opportunity offered to him for ending century old conflict.

In a letter sent by Irish president, Bertie Ahern, he lauded the crucial role played by Bill Clinton and his wife in the peace process. It is noted here, that the letter comes short of Irish president, Bertie Ahern’s dismissal from position of president in wake of recent financial scandal, to which he denies categorically. The excerpts from the letter read…

“I would also like to thank Hillary Clinton for the vital role she played. Her support in these divided communities, bringing people together to work in partnership and her support and encouragement helped us through some very difficult times,” Ahern wrote, ” Bill and Hillary have been good and true friends of the Irish people and for that we will always be grateful and we will thank them from the bottom of our hearts.”

The former president moved out for an off from regular campaigning schedules, which he was doing for his wife, only to be the part of one social event. He avowed that he was the part of St. Patrick’s Day parade.

He honestly admitted before the crowd gathered in Gallagher’s steakhouse that the peace process would not have been successful without sincere efforts of Irish Americans and their issueless love for their country.

“I doubt very seriously despite even with their best efforts that the Irish could have done this without the American Diaspora without you staying after the political leaders in this country all those years and sending money and sending it all those years.”

Also, on this very memorable event, Mr. Bill Clinton met rish American leader, activist, and lawyer Brian O’Dwyer, who expressed the comments of one David Trimble, Nobel peace price in 1998 for his work on the peace accords, on the role of Hillary clinton.

Soon after the event came to a touchy end, Cliton joined her wife’s starry fundraiser campaign, which was Sir Elton John’s concert at Radio City Music Hall.

From Unison.ie

IRISH food and drink exports topped €8bn for the first time in 2006, rising by 10pc compared with 2005, according to export performance figures compiled by Bord Bia.

The increase of €756m to €8.1bn significantly out-performed merchandise exports. The food body said the jump in exports was achieved despite a strong euro exchange rate against the US dollar and competitive pressures in major export markets.

Musicians of all ages will fill the air with traditional Irish jigs, reels, hornpipes, songs, and airs on Saturday, February 3, 2007. They will be playing their flutes, fiddles, concertinas, Irish uillean pipes and more in the 2007 Atlanta Irish Music Competition at Alpharetta High School in Alpharetta, Georgia.

Musicians and singers will compete in four age brackets ranging from under 7 to adult (19+). Instrument categories will include traditional Irish instruments as well as singing in both Irish and English. New events this year will be competitions for ceili bands, small ensembles, pipe bands, and duets/trios. Winners will be awarded trophies and ribbons.

Hello! We are a group of online riddlers on an International Scavenger Hunt Game.

To solve the current round, we need someone to get a digital pic with our group siggy in it from Blarney Castle on our behalf. A pic of someone kissing the Blarney Stone gets us additional points!

Unfortunately no one on our team is near Southern Ireland, so IF YOU ARE, PLEASE CONTACT ME ASAP! flamenco_fleur@hotmail.com
I will be glad to give additional details then.

Rest assured that that you would have our eternal gratitude... you would be part of internet history, and 40 + people would gladly offer you their hospitality if you were passing by!

From MLive.com
http://www.mlive.com/homeimprovement/stories/index.ssf?/base/features-0/1110712663314130.xml

Sunday, March 13, 2005
By John Hogan
The Grand Rapids Press

You don't need the Luck of the Irish to grow shamrocks -- or to find them.

Local growers have been nurturing this perennial favorite so they'll be ready for St. Patrick's Day.

"They really aren't that difficult to grow," said Dave Molesta, who had thousands of the delicate plants shoulder-to-shoulder in his greenhouses.

By now, they've shipped 15,000 plants to customers throughout the Midwest, including Meijer stores, though there still are plenty for local customers, said Molesta, a fourth-generation grower at Molesta Floral and Greenhouses, 2960 Madison Ave. SE.

From: http://www.outdoornewswire.com

Morely to Kayak around South Georgia
Previously circumnavigated the UK and Ireland by sea kayak
by Natasha Nowakowski
March 4th, 2005

After successfully circumnavigating the UK and Ireland by sea kayak, Cornwall policeman Sgt Sean Morley plans to lead a group of paddlers on the first circumnavigation of South Georgia in the South Atlantic this December.

Last September, Morley completed a 4,500 mile paddle around the UK and Ireland. The expedition took six months.

The trip raised more than £8,000, which will be donated to the RNLI and the Marine Conservation Society.

From http://www.timeout.com/film/news/225.html :

December 20 2004
The programme for the 3rd Annual Jameson Dublin International Film Festival has been announced, and some of the most critically acclaimed American movies of the year will be screening at the event.

Titles already confirmed include Woody Allen's comedy/drama 'Melinda and Melinda' Wes Anderson's bittersweet 'The Life Aquatic', Nicole Kassel's controversial 'The Woodsman' and the Liam Neeson-starring 'Kinsey', which has already been nominated for several Golden Globes and could also be a favourite come Oscar time.

Joshua Marston's award-winning drug-smuggling drama 'Maria Full of Grace' is also screening, as is Jacob Aaron Estes' acclaimed thriller 'Mean Creek', which tells the tale of a group of young Oregon students who set out to exact revenge on their school bully.

From TownOnline.com:

A distinctive Celtic flavor enlivens Boston's holiday season this year as Irish singers, dancers and entertainers perform in town, complementing a variety of social gatherings, art exhibits and children's activities in the local community, according to a schedule released by the Boston Irish Tourism Association.

More...
http://www2.townonline.com/roslindale/artsLifestyle/view.bg?articleid=140514

1921 - Britain signs peace treaty with Ireland establishing Irish Free State, and Ireland accepts Dominion status.

From NPR:

As late as the 1980s, many of Ireland's high school graduates emigrated to survive.

Today, the Emerald Isle ranks among the 10 richest countries in the world, and towns like Kinvara are booming.

As Frank Browning reports for the "Worlds of Difference" documentary series, prosperity has brought change. But even as it grows vital again, Kinvara has returned to an ancient tradition: music, rendered by fiddles, banjos and songs.

check the site for the full audio: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4202116