Hi °C | Lo °C 
Taoiseach takes power and a pay cut
Ireland's newly elected Government has made its first move towards reform by cutting its own pay.
Labour's deal with FG was opposed by second TD
A second Irish Labour Party TD quietly voted against going into coalition with Fine Gael, it emerged last night.
Republic of Ireland's bailout terms ‘won’t be eased’
The new Irish government's hopes of easing the €85bn (£72bn) bailout burden have been dashed.
Coalition talks put focus on economy
Coalition negotiation teams from the two winning parties in the Irish election have spent their opening day of talks going through up-to-date economic briefings.
No change to bailout deal, EU tells Republic of Ireland
The European Commission has vowed to carry on supporting Ireland's economic recovery - insisting that an EU bailout package is already giving the country a "fresh start".
Enda Kenny and Eamon Gilmore meet for coalition talks
The Irish Labour party last night gave its leader Eamon Gilmore the green light to enter coalition talks with Fine Gael.
Labour insists it will not be wooed easily
Trying to sell a coalition deal to Irish Labour party members emboldened by record election gains may well be a harder nut to crack than agreeing a programme for government.
Gerry Adams leads party’s surge as Sinn Fein become a significant force in the Dail
You'd have to go back to 1922, the year the Irish civil war started, to find a better result for Sinn Fein than the one they recorded last week.
Fine Gael election win is not enough to go it alone
Less than nine years after the party's collapse, Fine Gael recorded the best result in its history to become the biggest political party in the Irish Republic.
Republic of Ireland's election results herald biggest shake-up in balance of power since the Civil War
The Irish Republic is today witnessing its biggest political shake-up since the Civil War of the 1920s, with an election result that carries deep implications for Northern Ireland.
Coalition talks enter crucial stage
The leaders of the Republic's two largest political parties are to meet for a second time as they increase efforts to crack a deal on coalition government.
Gael-force winds of change sweep Republic
The two women seated at the table at polling booth number one in Scoil Naomh Padraig in Castlebar shook hands with the voter standing in front of their table. “Have you ID?” asked one of them.
Big names could fall as Fianna Fail face opposition
The officer class knew before they went to bed but Fianna Fail's footsoldiers will have heard the grim news on RTE's eight o'clock bulletin this morning.
Leaders urge voters to go to polls
Party leaders have urged people to make their vote count as polls opened in the most eagerly anticipated election in decades.
Is Enda Kenny more than just a safe pair of hands?
The Republic of Ireland's prime minister-in-waiting is used to doing just that: Enda Kenny has been waiting for a shot at power for decades, and it has taken the country's economic meltdown to give the nation's longest-serving member of parliament a chance to emerge from the shadow of opposition.
Fianna Fail facing oblivion in Irish general election
Fears for the future, a yearning for stability and a determination to exact political vengeance for the country's catastrophic finances are among the emotions swirling around an Irish election campaign as voters go to the polls today.
Uninspiring Enda’s 'a safe pair of hands'
Enda Kenny has been waiting for a shot at power for decades, and it has taken the country's economic meltdown to give the nation's longest-serving member of parliament a chance to emerge from the shadow of opposition.
SDLP chief Margaret Ritchie in Irish election jibe over Sinn Fein 'hypocrisy'
SDLP leader Margaret Ritchie has entered the Irish election fray by accusing Sinn Fein of hypocrisy, calling the party “red communists in the South and green Tories in the North”.
Parties make final pleas for votes
Political parties have made last ditch appeals for support as the scramble to win over voters intensified in the run-up to Friday's election.
Fine Gael most trusted to fix Irish economy: poll
Fine Gael is winning the Irish general election on the back of being the most trusted party to manage the Republic’s public finances and reduce the deficit, an Irish Independent/Millward Brown Lansdowne poll reveals.
Radio One's Big Weekend
Three-day festival underway in Derry
Belfast Telegraph Runher 2013
Video, pictures and finisihng times
Review: The Hangover Part III
Comedy with big following means blockbuster
Cannes femmes: Shayk and Ambrosio on red carpet
FHM's sexiest women - Kunis knocks Tulisa off her perch
Latest News
Joyriders crash double-decker bus new
Joyriders have crashed a double-decker bus into a garden wall, some parked cars and a lamppost after it was stolen from a railway station.
Woman bitten in attempted hijack new
An elderly woman was thrown to the ground and bitten during a botched hijacking in Belfast.
Protests at first Ukraine gay rally new
At least 50 gay rights activists have marched peacefully in the country's first gay rally despite a court ban and attempts to disrupt the event.
Latest Sport
Brumbies hold off Blues fightback new
The Blues were undone by the goal-kicking of centre Christian Lealiifano, who kicked the Brumbies to a 20-13 Super Rugby win at Eden Park.
Zidane: Bale good enough for Real new
Real Madrid ambassador Zinedine Zidane believes Gareth Bale is among the top three players in the world and "more than good enough" for the Spanish giants.
Lampard hopes for new Terry deal new
Frank Lampard hopes Chelsea team-mate John Terry can follow him by signing a new contract with the club.
Latest Showbiz
Jennifer Hudson signs Idol contract? new
Jennifer Hudson has reportedly signed on to become a judge on American Idol’s Season 13.
Alyssa Milano: I get so jealous new
Alyssa Milano doesn’t understand how her husband isn’t more affected by the love scenes she shoots.
Bullock talks space sex with Clooney new
Sandra Bullock has urged moviegoers to see her new sci-fi drama Gravity with George Clooney because the zero-gravity sex scenes are “awesome” and so awkward.
