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Sinn Féin’s decision this week to stay away from St Patrick’s Day events at the White House has taken a new turn, after the US embassy said the party wasn’t invited in the first place, and is not expected to be.
In a statement issued to Irish press, Mr Edward Walsh said that “no members of Sinn Féin have been invited to the White House, and none are expected to be invited”. He added that announcing a boycott “of an event for which invitations have neither been extended nor finalised is premature”.
What Sinn Féin said and why it said it.
Earlier in the week, Sinn Féin leader Ms Mary Lou McDonald said no party representatives would attend White House St Patrick’s Day events, citing the situation in Gaza Strip and the need for international attention to remain focused on Palestine.
The party position was framed as a protest and a statement of principle. Sinn Féin also indicated it was working on the assumption an invitation would again be issued, noting that invitations are often made close to the event itself.
It will be remembered that critics have long pointed to Sinn Féin’s past engagement with Hamas, including meetings, as a political vulnerability, even as the party insists its position is rooted in international law and support for Palestinian statehood.
The key update: “not invited” and “not expected”.
The embassy statement, however, cuts across that narrative. The message from Washington, via Dublin, is effectively, there is no invitation to decline.
The ambassador also pointed to what he described as unusually strong demand for access to this year’s St Patrick’s Day celebrations at the White House, presenting it as a sign of the “depth and vitality” of the US–Ireland relationship.
Wider context: who is going and who isn’t.
While Sinn Féin is opting out (and now being told it wasn’t on the invite list anyway), Taoiseach Mr Micheál Martin has confirmed he has accepted an invitation to meet Donald Trump at the White House on St Patrick’s Day (March 17).
Separately, Sinn Féin’s senior leadership in Northern Ireland has also indicated it will not attend: Michelle O’Neill has said she will not go to this year’s White House events, also citing Gaza.
Why it matters
This is now less a simple “boycott” story and more a three-way political dynamic:–
- A party staking out a moral position on Gaza, and seeking to use the St Patrick’s Day spotlight as leverage.
- A US administration controlling access tightly, signalling who is , and isn’t, welcome in a high-profile diplomatic theatre.
- An Irish Government continuing the annual engagement, arguing that the relationship is too economically and strategically important to step away from, even amid controversy.
It was with great sadness that we learned of the death, today Thursday 19th February 2026, of Mrs Margaret (Peg) Cormack, of Barna, Templetuohy, Thurles, Co. Tipperary and formerly of Ballyerk, Moyne, Thurles, Co. Tipperary.
In her ninety-fifth year, Mrs Cormack passed away peacefully, following a short illness, while in the care of the medical and nursing staff, at Tullamore General Hospital.
Her passing is most deeply regretted and lovingly remembered by her primary carers, her nephew John Butler and his wife Carmel, their daughters Louise and Aileen, Peg’s brother-in-law Larry Maher (Kilduff, Killea), her devoted nephews and nieces and their spouses, the Butler family (Barna, Templetuohy), Helen (Meehan), Seamus, Willie, Patricia (Martin), John, Michael and Marie (French), the Maher family (Kilduff, Killea), Mairead (Vaughan), Tim, Sharon and Liam; grandnieces and grandnephews, extended relatives, neighbours and friends.
Requiescat in Pace.
Funeral Arrangements.
The earthly remains of Mrs Cormack will be received into the Church of the Sacred Heart, Church Lane, Longorchard, Templetuohy, Thurles at 11:00am on Saturday morning, February 21st, to repose for Requiem Mass at 11:30am, followed by interment, immediately afterwards, in Moyne Old Cemetery, Thurles, Co. Tipperary.
The extended families wish to express their appreciation for your understanding at this difficult time.
Ar dheis Dé go raibh a h-anam dílis.
FSAI warn of undeclared almonds in a batch of mispacked Cottage Delight Garlic Stuffed Gordal Olives.
Alert Summary dated Thursday, February 19th 2026.
Allergy Alert Notification: 2026.A09.
Allergen: Nuts (almonds).
Product Identification: Cottage Delight Garlic Stuffed Gordal Olives; pack size: 280g.
Batch Code Best-before end: 12/2028.
Country Of Origin: Spain.
Message:
The above batch of Cottage Delight Garlic Stuffed Gordal Olives was mispacked with almond stuffed olives.
Almond is not listed as an ingredient and this may make the batch unsafe for consumers who are allergic to or intolerant of nuts (almonds), and therefore, these consumers should not eat the implicated batch.
The affected batch is being recalled.
It was with great sadness that we learned of the death, today Thursday 19th February 2026, of Mrs Ena Maher (née O’Brien), Parkstown House, Horse and Jockey, Thurles, Co. Tipperary and formerly of Mitchelstown, Co. Cork.
Pre-deceased by her husband Joe; the passing of Mrs Maher is most deeply regretted, sadly missed and lovingly remembered by her sorrowing family; loving daughters Mary and Tina, sons Ken and Brian, grandchildren Joe, Grace, Karen, Mark, Tom, Stephen, Niall and Daria, sons-in-law Kevin and Carl, daughters-in-law Paula and Mary, brothers, sisters, nieces, nephews, extended relatives, neighbours and friends.
Requiescat in Pace.
Funeral Arrangements.
The earthly remains of Mrs Maher will repose at Hugh Ryan’s Funeral Home, Slievenamon Road, Thurles, (Eircode E41 CP59), on Friday afternoon next, February 20th, from 5:00pm until 7:00pm same evening.
Her remains will be received into the Church of St Peter Church, Moycarkey, Thurles, (Eircode E41 FY29), on Saturday morning, February 21st, at 11:00am, to further repose for Requiem Mass at 11.30am, followed by interment, immediately afterwards, in nearby St. Peter’s Cemetery, Moycarkey, Thurles, Co. Tipperary.
For those persons who would wish to attend Requiem Mass for Mrs Maher, but for reasons cannot, same can be viewed streamed live online, HERE.
The extended Maher and O’Brien families wish to express their appreciation for your understanding at this difficult time, and have made arrangements for those persons wishing to send messages of condolence, to use the link shown HERE.
“The Maher and O’Brien families would like to take this opportunity to thank the staff of Fern Dean Nursing Home, Stepaside, Co. Dublin, for taking such good care of Mrs Maher during her time there.“
Ar dheis Dé go raibh a h-anam dílis.
EPA announces funding of €6.5m for new research to address climate and environmental policy needs.
EPA announces funding of €6.5 million for 24 new research projects in the areas of:
- climate change,
- the natural environment,
- the green & circular economy and
- the environment & human health.
- The funding will address emerging research needs of policy makers in Ireland and respond to identified knowledge gaps for policy development and implementation.
- In terms of building research capacity, the funding will support 148 research staff across 10 Higher Education Institutions and will have a wide reach through 34 collaborating organisations across the public and private sectors in three different countries.
- Reflecting the cross-sectoral nature of environmental and climate policy, the EPA is working in partnership with Met Éireann and the Office of Public Works to co-fund a number of the research projects.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today announced new funding for environmental and climate research in Ireland, with funding of €6.5 million awarded for 24 new research projects. As well as addressing key knowledge gaps, these innovative projects will support the development of vital research capacity and expertise in strategically important areas.
Research plays a critical role in informing robust policy and decision-making as set out in Ireland’s Research and Innovation Strategy, Impact 2030. The EPA Research Programme has an established focus on policy-relevant research addressing identified knowledge gaps relevant to environmental and climate policy. The outcomes of the EPA Research Call 2025 will contribute to the evidence base for environmental policy in Ireland, strengthen connections between the research and policy communities and deliver positive environmental outcomes.
Projects that will receive EPA funding this year include topics such as:
- Assessing impacts of national policies on climate targets
- Use of technology in peatland monitoring
- Impacts of dams and barriers on rivers and lakes
- Streamlining Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) through the use of AI
- Greening of laboratory analysis protocols and
- Greater understanding of sources and sinks of methane
Announcing the funding awards, Dr Eimear Cotter, (EPA Deputy Director General) said: “We face complex challenges in becoming a resilient, competitive and sustainable society. Research, such as that funded through the EPA Research Call, will play a vital role in supporting robust policy- and decision-making while ensuring the protection of our environment and climate. The projects announced today will support targeted, policy‑relevant research and build connections with policy-makers and practitioners, and ultimately support more effective action. I congratulate the successful teams and look forward to seeing the positive impacts of their work.”
The latest EPA funding is significant in terms of further building environmental research capacity in Ireland. It will support 148 research staff across 10 Higher Education Institutions and will have a wider reach through 34 collaborating organisations across the public and private sectors in three different countries. University of Galway received the highest number of successful research awards in 2025.
Commenting on the announcement, Mr Aengus Parsons, (Vice-President for Research and Innovation (Acting) at University of Galway), said: “Our researchers are to be commended for their vision and dedication to addressing the urgent environmental challenges of our times. We thank the Environmental Protection Agency for this support, which strengthens our commitment to research and innovation around sustainable and resilient environments. I look forward to seeing these projects progress to impacts across climate policy, coastal risk, air quality, emissions reduction, peatland resilience, the bioeconomy, and water quality.”
Reflecting the importance of collaboration in addressing climate and environmental challenges, the EPA is working in partnership with Met Éireann and the Office of Public Works to co-fund a number of projects in areas including flood probability, flow statistics for our rivers and climate modelling.
The list of funded projects made under the EPA Research Call 2025 is available on the EPA website. The EPA Research Programme is a Government of Ireland initiative funded by the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications. Details of the EPA Research Call 2026 will be made available on the EPA website.
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