DUBLIN, July 3 (Reuters) – Ireland kept ahead of revenue
goals for the year at the end of June, beating their target by
3.1 percent and prompting Finance Minister Michael Noonan to
reiterate that the government is confident of meeting its budget
reduction targets for the year.

The better-than-expected tax take was again driven by the
three largest sources of revenue with income tax coming in 3.1
percent ahead of target and sales tax, the top rate of which was
increased this year, performing 0.6 percent better than
forecast.

GALWAY, Ireland, June 28 (Reuters) – Canadian Finance
Minister Jim Flaherty urged European leaders on Thursday to move
swiftly toward greater banking integration and to use public
funds if necessary to recapitalize their banks, criticizing
their actions so far as “incremental”.

Speaking in Galway, Ireland, as a summit of euro zone
leaders in Brussels began, Flaherty said any plan to ease the
European debt crisis should include a more effective firewall to
break the link between problems in the banking sector and
sovereign finances, steps toward deposit insurance for European
banks, and “ensuring euro zone banks are fully capitalized,
using public funds if necessary”.

DUBLIN (Reuters) – Former Irish Republican Army (IRA) commander and current deputy first minister of Northern Ireland Martin McGuinness will meet Britain’s Queen Elizabeth for the first time next week, marking a milestone in the province’s peace process.

The queen has never met a senior figure in the now-defunct IRA, which killed her relative Lord Mountbatten in 1979, or its political wing Sinn Fein. The party decided on Friday to sanction the meeting that would have seemed inconceivable a generation ago.

DUBLIN (Reuters) – Former Irish Republican Army (IRA) commander and current deputy first minister of Northern Ireland Martin McGuinness will meet the Queen for the first time next week, marking a milestone in the province’s peace process.

The queen has never met a senior figure in the now-defunct IRA, which killed her relative Lord Mountbatten in 1979, or its political wing Sinn Fein. The party decided on Friday to sanction the meeting that would have seemed inconceivable a generation ago.

DUBLIN (Reuters) – Ireland’s unemployment rate has hit its highest level since the country’s financial crisis began, denting hopes aroused by stronger economic data that more jobs might be created.

After the number of people in employment rose by 11,000 on a seasonally-adjusted basis in the final three months of 2011, the first increase in four years, data released on Thursday showed a drop of 7,300 in the first three months of this year.

DUBLIN (Reuters) – Ireland’s chances of Euro 2012 success will hinge on whether they can penetrate, and not simply frustrate, their more illustrious group opponents.

Up against three of the world’s top 12 sides, Giovanni Trapattoni’s resolute and hardworking charges, drawn mainly from the English Premier League’s less-fashionable clubs, will be favourites to prop up Group C.

DUBLIN (Reuters) – When Giovanni Trapattoni was appointed Ireland soccer manager in 2008, he brought one vital ingredient – experience.

The former Italy coach, who has won 10 league titles in four countries, took over a side reeling from their worst qualification campaign in more than two decades, an unsuccessful attempt to reach Euro 2008 that included a humiliating 5-2 loss to Cyprus.

DUBLIN, June 5 (Reuters) – When Giovanni Trapattoni was
appointed Ireland soccer manager in 2008, he brought one vital
ingredient – experience.

The former Italy coach, who has won 10 league titles in four
countries, took over a side reeling from their worst
qualification campaign in more than two decades, an unsuccessful
attempt to reach Euro 2008 that included a humiliating 5-2 loss
to Cyprus.

DUBLIN, June 5 (Reuters) – Ireland’s chances of Euro 2012
success will hinge on whether they can penetrate, and not simply
frustrate, their more illustrious group opponents.

Up against three of the world’s top 12 sides, Giovanni
Trapattoni’s resolute and hardworking charges, drawn mainly from
the English Premier League’s less-fashionable clubs, will be
favourites to prop up Group C.

BERLIN/DUBLIN (Reuters) – EU paymaster Germany softened its drive for austerity across the euro zone on Friday, agreeing to allow Spain more time to cut its deficit while its battles a deepening bank crisis, capital flight and recession.

Irish voters backed a European budget discipline treaty by a 60-40 percent vote in a referendum, a widely expected result that removed one political risk for the troubled currency area but left several bigger ones.