THE relationship between Ireland and Scotland has long been an important part of the cultural, political and economic life of the two countries, and looking ahead to 2030 it now has a new framework to expand the impact of the relationship and encourage its good health.

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.

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.

IRELAND made it a double celebration as their hurlers and camogs took on their shinty counterparts in a return of the Ireland-Scotland international fixture.

THE life and times of the publisher, home-ruler, land reformer and radical, John Ferguson (1836-1906), were brought to life in a fascinating presentation by social historian Sean Thomas McDonagh, in Grace’s Irish Centre late last month.

EDINBURGH'S Irish community will have another chance to celebrate its culture and heritage—and the chance to avail of some free pints—thanks to a special event being held this month in Malones Bar in Leith.

IRELAND'S Hidden Heartlands stretch across nine unmissable counties, each with its own history, heroes—and, of course, heart. We’ve chosen five great towns and villages you simply can’t miss. The only question is: which one will you visit first?

LIKE the Emerald Isle, Edinburgh is a very green place. Though this is on the more local scale of a city, just how many green spaces and gardening initiatives, both large and small are present within the city has always impressed me. Scotland as a whole, like Ireland, also has a rich botanical cultural history.

THIS month, I sat down with the King of Glasgow, the guru of the city’s live entertainment and hospitality sector—not to mention one of the funniest guys you’ll ever meet—Donald MacLeod. I asked him about his 40 years of work in the industry, his fight to save hospitality and of course his love of Ireland. Here’s what he had to say.

Tánaiste SIMON HARRIS looks forward to Ireland assuming its eighth presidency of the EU in 2026.

WHEN Glaswegian Paul O’Donaghue ends up in lockdown after travelling to a small village on the north coast of Donegal for his mother’s funeral, he’s not unduly worried.

THE hopes of Palestinian children planning to travel to Ireland for a summer of sport amid the destruction and devastation surrounding them have been dashed after their visa applications were rejected.

Twenty years ago, I was with colleagues in Dublin for a once -per-term meet-up of participants in a postgraduate psychotherapy course. It was organised across Northern Europe with students from Britain, Denmark, Iceland and Ireland.

LEADING voices in Gaelic and Gaeilge from Ireland and Scotland came together in Aberdeen recently to examine some of the key challenges and opportunities facing Gaelic and Irish-speaking communities today.

HELLO everyone! I’m John Ignatius McLaughlin—aka Johnny Mac from my band Johnny Mac and The Faithful.

HUBBY and I are just back from a lovely break to Krakow, Poland, possibly one of the cleanest European cities I’ve ever visited

THE Irish Consulate has thrown its weight behind an event that will bring together dancing style from Scotland, Ireland and Bulgaria

THERE'S a variety of wonderful reasons for heading to the City of the Tribes

WE TAKE a look at some of the important social, political and cultural events which have helped shape modern Ireland

IT'S DECEMBER already and I’m asking myself, how the feck did that happen? Where has 2024 gone?