ELECTION DATE - The Irish Presidential Election will be held on Friday, October 21. Under the Irish Constitution, the election for President must take place in the 60-day period before the end of the term of office of the current President. President Mary McAleese's term expires on November 10th and, having served two terms, she is ineligible to run for re-election.
 

WEALTHY IRELAND - Despite the worst economic crisis ever to hit Ireland, average income in Ireland is the third highest of the 27 EU member States when measured by Gross Domestic Product. Even using Gross National Product to measure income, which excludes the profits of multinationals operating in Ireland, Irish incomes still equal the European average.

iPAD APPS - First year students at a Claremorris, Co. Mayo, secondary school will be offered a straight choice between an iPad or a bag full of books when they enroll in September. The iPads will be loaded with learning apps relevant to the curriculum and will be phased into use this September. The full iPad package costs $1,000 per student but parents will be offered a three year funding deal to spread out the payments.

CLOYNE FALLOUT - Tough new laws to force the disclosure of information on child sexual abuse will be introduced in response to the Cloyne report on the handling of child sexual abuse cases in the Catholic Diocese of Cloyne which includes the city of Cork and the surrounding area. The withholding of information about serious offences against a child will be made a criminal offence, and anyone could be jailed for failing to disclose such information. Even the seal of confession will be limited in certain respects.

PAPAL REPERCUSSIONS - Proposals for a Papal visit to Ireland in 2012 may be shelved in the wake of the fallout from the Cloyne report which claims that the Vatican provided cover to conservative Irish Bishops and priests who did not want to implement the 1996 Irish bishops' procedures for handling child sexual abuse. The Vatican issued a secret letter that described the 1996 rules as "merely a study document" and not official policy. Taoiseach Enda Kenny called the Vatican's approach to the situation "disgraceful" and has formally demanded an explanation.

CLOYNE BISHOP - The Bishop of Cloyne, who had previously served in Rome as private secretary to three popes (Paul VI, John Paul I and John Paul II), came in for harsh criticism in the report over his handling and concealment of child abuse allegations where, in one case, he prepared a truthful report on clerical abuse for the Vatican and a false one for diocesan files.

US PRESIDENTS - When President Obama visited Ireland in May, he was the sixth US president to make an official visit to Ireland during his period of office, beginning with John F Kennedy in June 1963. Richard Nixon visited in 1970, Ronald Reagan in 1984, Bill Clinton three times between 1995 and 2000, and George W Bush in 2006.

QUEEN'S GIFT - A copy of a 550-year-old manual on how to "Speake Iryshe" was presented to Queen Elizabeth II by President McAleese when the Queen visited Ireland in May. The Irish language primer was written in 1564 by an Irish nobleman for England's first Queen Elizabeth when she requested help with the language. The primer consists of 'an address to the queen in English, an introductory statement in Latin, followed by the Irish alphabet, the vowels, consonants, and diphthongs, with words and phrases in Irish, Latin, and English'.

PRESIDENT'S GIFT - In 1922, the Hawaiian Legislature commissioned Irish author Pádraic Colum to collect myths and legends from Hawaii and write them as children's stories to be used in Hawaiian schools. The result was three volumes of 'Tales and Legends of Hawaii', a first edition copy of which was presented by Taoiseach Enda Kenny to President Obama.

HENRY VIII - Moneygall has seen a steady number of tourists from around the world since President Obama visited the Co. Offaly village in May, many of them females who have reportedly been bombarding unmarried 26-year-old Henry Healy with attention. Healy was dubbed Henry VIII by President Obama because he is the President's eighth cousin!

TREE PLANTINGS - Both President Obama and Queen Elizabeth planted Irish oak trees during their visits to Áras an Uachtaráin, the official residence of Ireland's President in Dublin's Phoenix Park. The tradition of planting trees there was started by Queen Victoria in 1853 when the building was the Vice-Regal Lodge. It is now customary for each head of state who visits Áras an Uachtaráin to plant a tree during their visit. Most of the trees are planted along the driveway leading to the house while three are in the front garden - those of Queen Victoria, President John F. Kennedy, and Pope John Paul II.

CENSUS FIGURES- Despite the economic downturn and an increase in emigration, Ireland's high birth rate means the population has continued to grow. Preliminary results from the 2011 Census show an Irish population of 4,581,269 - up 341,421 from the last count five years ago.

HERITAGE CERTIFICATE - As of October 2011, people of Irish heritage around the world who do not qualify for Irish citizenship, may apply to the Irish government for an official "Certificate of Irish Heritage". Applicants will be required to submit comprehensive details of their Irish ancestry, together with relevant documentation that proves their connection with Ireland.

NORTH STUDY - A project has begun to record the accounts of people involved in the decades of violence in Northern Ireland and the continuing search for reconciliation. The three year initiative will be led by researchers at Queens Mary, University of London, in association with Trinity College Dublin and Dundalk Institute of Technology. The plan is to record the experiences of key figures from the Troubles and the Peace Process.

1916 FLAG - New York's American Irish Historical Society is displaying an Irish tricolour flag that was flown in 1916 over the GPO headquarters in Dublin during the Easter Rebellion. The flag was captured by British soldiers after the leaders' surrender and was later given to a doctor in Lisburn, Co. Antrim, whose son-in-law gave it to the family of one of the founders of Sinn Féin. The flag today is insured for $1 million.

BOOK PRIZE - Colum McCann, a Dubliner living in New York, was named the winner of this year's IMPAC literary prize for his sixth novel, "Let The Great World Spin". He became the second Irish author to win the €100,000 prize. His novel, described as a personal response to the events of 9/11, also received the 2009 National Book Award in the US.

BALLYVAUGHAN SIGNPOST - The famous signpost in the village of Ballyvaughan, Co. Clare, which had about 20 signs pointing to towns, local businesses and attractions, and which has featured on numerous tourism postcards and posters, has had all the non-standard directional signs removed by the National Roads Authority.

AER LINGUS - 75 years ago on May 27, 1936, the inaugural Aer Lingus flight was in a De Havilland 84 aircraft flying from Baldonnel in Dublin to Bristol, England. It arrived late to the dismay of the two fare-paying passengers who had missed their train connections! In 1979 Aer Lingus became the first airline other than Alitalia to carry a pontiff, bringing Pope John Paul II from Rome to Dublin and then on to Boston.

EXTRA FOLKS? - Although the population of the Irish Republic is 4.58 million, there are 7.2 million personal public service (PPS) numbers (similar to US Social Security Numbers). A person's PPS number enables them to access social welfare benefits, public services and information. While some of the extra PPS numbers are believed to be numbers belonging to people who may have died, most of the extras are thought to exist because of abuse or criminal activity.

SCHOOLS - Forty primary and secondary schools are due to be built in Ireland over the next six years to meet a sharp increase in the school-going population. An increase of more than 45,000 primary pupils and almost 25,000 secondary school students is forecast by 2017.

WRITING AWARD - Irish writer John Banville has won the prestigious Franz Kafka Prize for Literature, presented annually for a body of work of "exceptional literary creation". Banville, who also writes under the pseudonym Benjamin Black, has published 18 novels, including The Sea, which won the Booker Prize in 2005.

PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS - There have been eight different Presidents of Ireland since the Irish Constitution was adopted in 1937. Two were elected un-opposed (Douglas Hyde and Cearbhall Ó Dálaigh) and in the other six elections, Labour candidate Mary Robinson was the only non-Fianna Fáil winner. This year, because of the party's standing in the polls, Fianna Fáil may not even nominate a candidate for the Presidential election scheduled for October 21.

WOMEN CANDIDATES - Under proposed Irish legislation, state funding for a political party in future elections will be reduced 50% if at least 30% of the party's candidates are not women. Only 25 of the Dáil's current 166 deputies are women, and in February's general election, only 15% of the 566 candidates were women.

IRISH PLANES - Irish budget airline Ryanair has signed an agreement to help China's COMAC develop its medium-range C919 jet. The planned single-aisle jet which can seat up to 190 passengers is seen as a potential competitor to the Boeing 737. By 2013, Ryanair will have a fleet of over 300 Boeing aircraft and the airline is in discussions with both Boeing and now COMAC for a replacement order of at least 200 aircraft.

FREE ADMISSIONS - Through 2011, there is free admission on the first Wednesday of every month to over 50 major national monuments and heritage sites in Ireland, including to Newgrange, the Rock of Cashel, Clonmacnoise and the State Apartments in Dublin Castle. For a listing of the free sites, visit heritageireland.ie.

FUTURE SCIENTISTS - A team of students from Sligo's Institute of Technology won the top prize last week at the annual Microsoft Imagine competition in New York. The team designed a device that monitors dangerous driving behavior and road conditions, and provides instant feedback to both the driver and the car. The prize awards student innovations that address global problems such as improving road and fire safety, eradicating poverty, and creating a more sustainable environment.

IRISH MOVIE - Opening Friday, July 29 is The Guard, an award-winning Irish comedy-thriller film set in Galway. It stars Brendan Gleeson as a garda (police officer) with a confrontational personality and a taste for pints and hookers. The film begins with him discovering a corpse that appears to be connected to a massive importation of drugs. Gleeson's life is disrupted when an FBI agent (Don Cheadle) turns up to assist with the case's international dimensions.

ESTATE SALE - Collectors from around the world spent almost $6.5 million recently buying art and antiques from the estate of the late Dr Tony Ryan, founder of Ryanair. Ryan, a billionaire who died in 2007, was a native of Co Tipperary, and he spent millions restoring Lyons Demesne in Co. Kildare, where he compiled one of Ireland's most valuable private collections of art and antiques. Lyons Demesne has 10 guest bedroom suites, a private cinema, private pub, half-Olympic-sized swimming pool and 22-acre lake, aircraft landing strip and extensive stables. It is for sale with an asking price of $80 million.

CELTIC GLORY - Irish golfers like Darren Clarke, Rory McIlroy, Pádraig Harrington, Graeme McDowell and others have been very successful on the various Pro Tours - see Irish Pro Winners Listing. In the wake of McIlroy's victory in the US Open and Clarke's in the British Open, expect to see a major Tourism Ireland marketing campaign in the US to attract golfers to Ireland.

McCOURT MUSEUM - A Frank McCourt Museum, named for the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Angela's Ashes, has opened on the site of the school in Limerick which McCourt and his brothers attended in the 1930s.

"LAS TWO-MILE-BORRIS" - Preliminary approval has been given for the construction of a $650 million "Las Vegas-style" sports and leisure complex in Co Tipperary, on 800-acres near Two-Mile-Borris. The complex will include a 500-bedroom, five-star hotel; a 6,000sq meter casino; an all-weather racecourse; a greyhound track and a golf course.

NY MAYOR - New York City Council President Christine Quinn, whose Irish-born grandmother was a Titanic survivor, is tipped to become New York's next mayor in 2013. If so, she would be the first woman mayor in the city's history. She is extremely popular in the city's Irish American community and, if elected, would be the first Irish American mayor of New York since Bill O'Dwyer in the 1940s.

DUBLIN TWIN - Dublin (population 1.2 million) has officially signed a sister city agreement with Beijing (population 19.4 million). There are currently about 4,000 Chinese students in Dublin, out of a total of 30,000 members of Dublin's Chinese community.

JOYCE'S PASSPORT - James Joyce's family passport, which records the writer's movements across Europe during the 1st World War as he penned his masterpiece Ulysses, was recently sold at auction for about $100,000. Issued by the British consulate in Zurich on August 10th, 1915, the passport consists of a double-sided sheet on white and pink paper folded to form 10 panels. The one passport covers Joyce, Nora, and their two children, and Nora is listed as Joyce's wife although they did not get married until 1931.

MAEVE'S TOMB - Maeve's Cairn on top of Knocknarea Mountain near Sligo town, has never been excavated. The huge man-made cairn dating to about 3,000 BC is comprised of an estimated 40,000 stones, and not even modern imaging techniques can penetrate the interior. It is the reputed final resting place of the legendary Queen Maeve of Connacht. According to tradition, she was buried standing upright with sword in hand, facing towards her bitter enemies in Ulster.

MIXED RACE - James Augustine Healy, the Catholic Bishop of Portland, Maine from 1875 to 1900, was Irish and black. Born in Macon, Georgia, in 1830, his father was a Co. Roscommon-born planter who owned 49 slaves, and his mother was one of the slaves. Healy went on to become the first African-American Roman Catholic priest and the first African-American Roman Catholic bishop.

GEORGIAN IRISH - Petroglyphs - concentric rings, circles, crosses and stars - on a large boulder at the Funk Heritage Museum near Atlanta, Georgia, have been confirmed as being identical to those found on boulders in Ireland. A boulder on the Dingle Penninsula, Co. Kerry has almost the exact same markings and is the same size as the one in Georgia. Similar markings are also found on boulders at Newgrange, Co. Meath.

SPITFIRE RETRIEVAL - A three-day operation has raised a Spitfire fighter aircraft from a bog on the Inishowen peninsula in Co. Donegal where it crashed 70 years ago. The US-born RAF pilot bailed out before the plane ditched in November 1941. The retrieval involved archaeologists, the Gardaí, and the Defence Forces' bomb disposal unit to take care of any munitions found on board. The entire operation was funded by the BBC for a documentary series.

HALL OF FAME - The Irish America Hall of Fame has been opened in New Ross, Co. Wexford, the town from which John F. Kennedy's great-grandfather emigrated in 1849. The Hall of Fame is housed in The National Centre for Emigration History, a building located next to the tall ship Dunbrody, a 19th century sailing ship replica built to commemorate the Great Famine. The Centre also includes a $3.7 million interactive display featuring a state-of-the-art exhibition on the story of Irish emigration, plus a genealogical resource for visitors hoping to trace their Irish heritage.

U2 TRIBUTE - As Irish band U2 finished the last song of their recent sold-out Nashville performance, lead singer Bono noticed a blind man near the front. He pulled him up on stage, sang a song to the man's wife while the man played the guitar, and then gave him the guitar to take home. Watch it on YouTube.

UNLUCKY STONE - A carved stone head taken in 1998 from St Ciarán's Well at the monastic site of Clonmacnoise, Co. Offaly, was returned anonymously last March. The people who took the head told the go-between that from the day they came into its possession "they had awful bad luck".