PRESIDENT George W Bush was today being urged to ease the plight of up to 50,000 illegal Irish immigrants in the US as Bertie Ahern visited the White House.

Irish Taoiseach Bertie Ahern and US President George Bush will participate in the traditional Shamrock Ceremony on St Patrick’s Day at the White House.

ONE of the earliest architects of the northern peace process warned 30 years ago that Democratic Unionist Party leader Dr Ian Paisley would be a formidable barrier to progress and urged that he be excluded from negotiations.