LONG before the age of instant messaging, online shopping, or next-day delivery, Christmas in Ireland carried a quiet magic of its own. But for countless families across the country, nothing compared to the thrill of receiving a parcel from the US, a tangible, festive connection to loved ones who had crossed the Atlantic in search of a better life.

ONE of the unsung heroes of the GAA in Britain since 1962 passed away at his home in Perth on the evening of Saturday October 25, 2025.

TÍR CONAILL Harps GFC are making a major play in 2026 to get more women and girls involved with the club.

THE year 2025 was a notable year one for Irish-Scottish relations. The Consulate has seen the highest number of inward ministerial visits from Ireland, with six visits to Glasgow, Edinburgh, Stirling and Aberdeen in areas ranging from special and inclusive education to cultural cooperation.

BHUEL, a chairde, nach mbíonn na hoícheanta iontach fada na laethanta seo agus nach mbíonn an aimsir gruama den chuid is mò? Bhuel, bíonn, is dócha, ach tá mise ag rá libh gan bac le sin agus gan a bheith gruama ionat féin ag an am céanna. Cad chuige? Bhuel, nach é seo an t-am den bhliain a bhíonn céiliúradh i ndiaidh céiliúradh againn? Is é. Muna chreideann tú mé, smaoinigh ar seo: ní fada uainn an Nollaig, agus ansin tagann na féilte go gasta chugainn ina dhiaidh sin.

THIS time of year is known as the season of goodwill and that phrase may be one that, for some, has lost a little meaning in recent times.

IN NATIONAL Hunt Racing all roads lead not to Rome, but to Cheltenham. The four-day festival, held in March each year, has evolved and grown to such significance that discussions and analysis now start many months in advance.

HIBS enter the Christmas period of fixtures in fifth place in the league, curiously sitting 12 points above the relegation play-off spot and eight points off second place, so, literally anything could become of the Hibees’ 2025/26 league campaign.

DUNDEE United’s lack of consistency is on show yet again this season.

WILFRIED Nancy was given a gift by outgoing Celtic manager Martin O’Neill that few other men in his position have been lucky enough to receive.

THIS month, I’ve speaking with my dear friend Victoria Mary Clarke, an incredibly successful author, artist and journalist and wife of the late Shane MacGowan of The Pogues.

IN 1816, landscape painter John Knox, travelled the 10 miles or so from Glasgow, to paint the Clyde from Faifley and Duntocher—two small settlements which were part of the parish of Old Kilpatrick. It was an early autumn scene, a rolling wooded hillside with a textile mill in the distance. It was pleasant, green and largely unoccupied. By the mid 1840s it was an entirely different picture.

AN OUTPOURING of grief has followed a shocking incident as five young people, including Chloe Hipson from Bellshill (above), were killed in a collision in Dundalk. Chloe, aged 21, died alongside Chloe McGee, 23, and Shay Duffy, 21, both from Carrickmacross, County Monaghan, Alan McCluskey, 23, from Drumconrath, County Meath and Dylan Commins, 23, from Ardee, County Louth. Three others—two men and a woman—are being treated for serious but non-life-threatening injuries. Chloe’s

THE Irish Consulate in Edinburgh, along with Irish In Britain, hosted the launch of the organisation’s report The Irish in Britain: Findings from the Analysis of the 2022 Census of Scotland.

IRISH literature has a long tradition of producing writers who capture the mood of the times that we live in. Jonathan Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels is a classic searing satire of Georgian Britain’s greed and moral bankruptcy. In every era writers have emerged from Erin’s shores as voices who have been able to chronicle the experiences of a generation and articulate their concerns.

TRADITIONAL music heavyweights Sharon Shannon and Luka Bloom will be among the Irish artists showcasing their talents at next year’s Celtic Connections Festival in Glasgow.

WHEN you think of Belfast, there’s always a sense of grandiosity attached to it—be that in its famous sons and daughters, its buildings and even in the famed ship built there, The Titanic.

CEANN Creige Hurlers have continued to build on their success of the opening games. Whilst the number of games played was frustratingly less than what some would like, the lads ensured that when they did play, they put in an impressive performance.

DUBLIN is truly a city of two names, Dubh Linn and Áth Cliath, each reflecting a distinct part of its ancient past. The English name ‘Dublin’ derives from the Gaelic ‘Dubh Linn,’ meaning ‘Black Pool,’ itself adapted from the Viking Dyflin. The name refers to the dark tidal pool where the River Poddle met the River Liffey, a spot that now forms part of the gardens of Dublin Castle.

DUBLIN—a city once described by novelist Brendan Behan as holding ‘familiarity without friendship’—now finds its residents asking the haunting question: ‘Why me?’ This comes in the wake of a series of violent attacks targeting members of Ireland’s immigrant communities throughout the summer of 2025.