A tearful Irish emigrant in the US had to listen to his father’s funeral Mass on a mobile phone because he was unable to travel home to attend it, it was claimed today.

Taoiseach Bertie Ahern will present the traditional bowl of shamrock to US president George Bush in the White House on Friday.

Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams will today meet Irish American supporters a day ahead of the Irish and British governments’ deadline for responses to their plan for restoring power-sharing at Stormont.

The leaders of Northern Ireland’s power-sharing government were today holding talks with New York senator Hillary Rodham Clinton and other US politicians on the second day of their visit to Washington.