Obama’s project to remake the U.S. image abroad has always relied, at its core, on his own against-the-odds story. And the adoring reception he received, from the public and its elected leaders, suggested the message still resonates here.

There has been some criticism of Obama being long on rhetoric and short on specifics, but that is what public speeches are all about. They are supposed to appeal to our hearts, not our heads....This is the very essence of "soft power".

President Barack Obama paid a joyful visit Monday to the small Irish village where his great-great-great grandfather once lived and worked as a shoemaker, endearing himself to the Irish populace, and in turn perhaps to millions of Irish-American voters in the United States.

In the coming weeks, Ireland will host two of the world's most recognizable VIPs: Queen Elizabeth II and President Barack Obama. Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny has called both visits "an investment for the future," citing the benefits they will bring in the way of tourism and business.

The Queen is poised to become the first British monarch to visit the Republic of Ireland. From the War of Independence to the Northern Ireland issue, the Anglo-Irish relationship has been troubled. It is hoping her visit will restore confidence in the Republic and boost its economic recovery.

Ireland and Germany have an excellent relationship within the common home of the European Union, the Minister for Education said today, while opening a conference on contemporary German-Irish cultural relations.

It's been a very patriotic period for Irish Ambassador Breifne O’Reilly. Aside from the St. Patrick’s Day reception he hosted at his residence in Herzliya Pituah last Thursday, the previous week he hosted another reception at the Tel Aviv Cinematheque to mark the opening of the annual Irish Film Week...

The concert, which also featured a performance of traditional and original music from pianist Mícheál Ó Súilleabháin, was the opening night of Havana’s Journados Culturales con Irlanda, a week of Irish culture which brought a touch of green to the Cuban capital earlier this month.