MEP Seán Kelly has called on Fine Gael to reconsider allowing a candidate to contest the presidency as he reiterated his desire to run for the Áras.

It was meant to be Harry and Meghan’s moment but their spotlight was very nearly stolen by another audacious couple.

He noted that we are fortunate to live in a world where modern technology has bridged geographical distance between Irish people wherever that may be in the world but reminded us about the value of a letter or a visit.

Ahead of today’s President’s Cup match in Cork, President Michael D Higgins sits down to talk football with Liam Mackey and the result is a conversation encompassing the League of Ireland, Fifa, Roy Keane, Jose Mourinho and Kofi Annan, as well as Seamus Coleman meeting the Duke of Edinburgh, that Jon Walters selfie and how he’d like to see Ireland play at Euro 2016.

I was never particularly ambitious. I have been incredibly lucky.

President Michael D Higgins’ successful State visit to Britain marks the normalising of relations between us and our near neighbours. That was the easy bit.

Pressure is mounting on the Government to produce a workable plan to tackle greenhouse gas emissions following the latest warning from experts that a major shift in attitudes and practices is needed to avoid catastrophic climate change.

Dermot O'Leary hosts highlights from a celebration of the Irish music tradition and its dialogue with Britain in the presence of the president of Ireland and the Prince and Princess Michael of Kent at the Royal Albert Hall on BBC4 at 8pm.

RTÉ has rejected claims by an MEP that 60 staff were sent to London to cover President Michael D Higgins’ state visit, stating the figure is an overestimation.

One of the fundamentals of contentment, for most people is the rootedness being a member of a family confers.

THERE was a synergy of sorts on Thursday between President Higgins interview in the Financial Times and the hearings in the Public Accounts Committee that day about the saga of misgovernance and possibly miscreance at the Dublin Dockland Development Authority (DDDA).

THE president has refused to comment on whether he would be willing to refer the new European Treaty to the Supreme Court to test whether it has to be put to a referendum of the people.

President Mary McAleese revealed she was on the verge of tears as she attended her last engagement as Head of State today.

Slow and steady wins the race.

OPINION polls, like the Late Late Show, tend to have one for everyone in the audience.

IN a politically embarrassing turn of events for Labour’s leadership, the party’s National Executive yesterday decided by a margin of just one not to contest the presidency.

WOULD take issue with Michael D Higgins’ assertion (Irish Examiner, June 7) that “the non-national parents of Irish-born children no longer have the right to live here on the basis of their child’s Irish citizenship”.