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Simon Harris said that "upon being confirmed in my role as Minister for Foreign Affairs, an early visit to Belfast was a top priority for me". Alamy Stock Photo

Tánaiste says he intends to be 'regular visitor' to North as he meets with Stormont leaders

Simon Harris is set to meet today with First Minister Michelle O’Neill and deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly.

TÁNAISTE SIMON HARRIS is meeting today with Northern Ireland’s first minister and deputy first minister on his first visit to Belfast since taking on his new position in the Cabinet.

Harris, who is also minister for foreign affairs, is set to meet today with First Minister Michelle O’Neill and deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly.

Speaking ahead of the visit, Harris said that “upon being confirmed in my role as Minister for Foreign Affairs, an early visit to Belfast was a top priority for me”.

He said that he spoke with O’Neill and Little-Pengelly on Friday, as well as the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Hilary Benn.

Today, he will meet with O’Neill and Little-Pengelly in person in Belfast. He will also meet with the Speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly Edwin Poots, the leader of the SDLP Claire Hanna, and the leader of the Alliance Party and Northern Ireland Minister for Justice Naomi Long.

“I wanted to ensure that there was an early engagement with the the First and deputy First Minister as well as party leaders before I meet with the Secretary of State, which I intend to do shortly,” Harris said.

“It is important to take time for discussions with them, as well as with other political leaders.

“Having just finalised our Programme for Government in recent weeks and with the Northern Ireland Executive are close to finalising theirs, we have much we can do together, including through the North South Ministerial Council and the Shared Island initiative.”

Harris said that “while this is my first visit in this new role, I visited Northern Ireland on a number of occasions as Taoiseach last year and intend to be a regular visitor in the time ahead”.

“In the weeks to come I am determined to hear from a range of voices from across Northern Ireland, community voices, civic voice and business voices, as well as political leaders.

“Importantly, I want to hear from victims and survivors of the violence on the Troubles, and their families and representatives, as we try to navigate a better way to deal with the legacy of the past.”

The meeting comes as the public inquiry into the Omagh bombing is set to hold its first substantive hearings from today.

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    Mute Shane Cormican
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    Nov 7th 2024, 4:53 PM

    That’s 2 less people travelling by plane – surly that’s saving the environment? Otherwise it’s going to listen to rich people telling us how to live!!!

    237
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    Mute Marvin Dollery
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    Nov 7th 2024, 6:09 PM

    @Shane Cormican: It tells you all you need to know. Even FF have excommunicated the green-coloured weasel knowing he’s getting ran from politics in a few weeks. Glorious.

    96
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    Mute frank dowling
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    Nov 7th 2024, 7:17 PM

    @Marvin Dollery: can’t wait to vote the green toad out

    56
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    Mute Gerard Carey
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    Nov 7th 2024, 4:57 PM

    How many front door keys has Rodders got cut in the last couple of years? Top man offering accommodation to people who have no connection whatsoever to this country.

    220
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    Mute Sergej Simonov
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    Nov 8th 2024, 8:16 AM

    @Gerard Carey: but they will have when they get refugee status and than bring their husbands and 7 children. Providing accomodations play key role in this scheme so Roderick was right!

    6
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    Mute Sheila McNulty
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    Nov 8th 2024, 9:22 AM

    @Sergej Simonov: Are u for real

    2
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    Mute Si Con
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    Nov 7th 2024, 5:00 PM

    The Green Party can take responsibility for emissions being slow to fall in Ireland. They halved the EV grant and reduced retro-fitting grants for homes. All at time when these should have been increased. The majority of EVs are out of reach for most of the population anyway and depreciation is steep, when compared to a diesel/petrol equivalent.
    But a poxy, vitue-signalling, green flash on a number plate will really make a difference to climate action

    185
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    Mute Thesaltyurchin
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    Nov 8th 2024, 11:07 AM

    @Si Con: Yup. Their punitive ‘build nothing’ strategy has failed them. They need a new generation that aren’t afraid to provide the infrastructure we need by moving with the tide and not always trying to swim against it.

    2
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    Mute Tommy
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    Nov 7th 2024, 5:10 PM

    Hey Roderic, you can always go yourself and get a one way ticket while you’re at it and don’t forget to bring the rest of brigade and tell the world that we’ve overburdened the Taxpayers in Ireland with extra taxes and made sure they are left with very little money at the end of the working week and don’t forget to the world that you have the gates still open to facilitate illegal migration into Ireland.

    176
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    Mute Freda Peeple
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    Nov 7th 2024, 5:23 PM

    @Tommy: he needs to go.

    109
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    Mute Brian Hunt
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    Nov 7th 2024, 6:06 PM

    @Tommy: Amen to that!

    53
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    Mute Michael Cummins
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    Nov 7th 2024, 5:45 PM

    Hopefully, this tool will be history in a few weeks. He loves the sound of his own voice.

    115
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    Mute Martin Finnerty
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    Nov 7th 2024, 4:58 PM

    Greens are never happy.

    115
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    Mute Pork Hunt
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    Nov 7th 2024, 6:00 PM

    Rodders made millions for hoteliers by giving them and some politicians eye watering amounts of money to house the flotsam and jetsam of the world. Dump your boarding pass in the bin , line up for a free house , unga bunga

    94
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    Mute Basildon Joe
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    Nov 7th 2024, 5:17 PM

    Apparently this guy responsible for all of this missing kids. Should be arrested.

    84
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    Mute Kevin Kerr
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    Nov 7th 2024, 5:22 PM

    @Basildon Joe: you’re suggesting that he is criminally responsible. How so, Joe?

    19
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    Mute Basildon Joe
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    Nov 7th 2024, 5:25 PM

    @Kevin Kerr: he is responsible from a government perspective as minister for children. Don’t stir my words.

    70
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    Mute Kevin Kerr
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    Nov 7th 2024, 5:28 PM

    @Basildon Joe: I’m not stirring any words. You said he should be arrested – only those suspected of having committed a crime would be arrested

    16
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    Mute Marvin Dollery
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    Nov 7th 2024, 5:52 PM

    @Kevin Kerr: In other words, you’re saying that there’s nothing anyone can do and the weasel is untouchable.

    29
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    Mute Kevin Kerr
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    Nov 7th 2024, 6:11 PM

    @Marvin Dollery: no

    5
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    Mute Brian Hunt
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    Nov 7th 2024, 6:11 PM

    @Kevin Kerr: He is criminally negligent!

    21
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    Mute Kevin Kerr
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    Nov 7th 2024, 6:17 PM

    @Brian Hunt: really? Ok so, well bring that evidence to the Gardai

    5
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    Mute Marvin Dollery
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    Nov 7th 2024, 6:18 PM

    @Kevin Kerr: LOL, you’ve been reduced to single word responses.

    12
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    Mute Kevin Kerr
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    Nov 7th 2024, 6:19 PM

    @Marvin Dollery: that’s all your comment deserved in response. Consider yourself muted

    5
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    Mute Marvin Dollery
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    Nov 7th 2024, 6:26 PM

    @Kevin Kerr: No, it’s all you could reply with because you were exposed.

    10
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    Mute Kevvy kerrr
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    Nov 7th 2024, 6:28 PM

    @Kevin Kerr: WOW such a mature & effective debate….. You REALLY SCARED him,lol

    7
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    Mute Sheila McNulty
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    Nov 7th 2024, 7:52 PM

    @Basildon Joe: u relly are deluded

    3
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    Mute Sheila McNulty
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    Nov 7th 2024, 7:53 PM

    @Brian Hunt: grow up

    2
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    Mute Marvin Dollery
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    Nov 7th 2024, 8:09 PM

    @Sheila McNulty: Listen Nulters, your obvious bias towards these dangerous muppets is making you look both foolish and naive. You’ve a lot of growing up to do yourself, sweetie.

    8
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    Mute Mr “JonnieBoy” Johnson
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    Nov 7th 2024, 10:35 PM

    @Kevin Kerr: you can be complict in various ways , incompetence, dereliction of duty,turn a blind eye, failure to report crime etc etc.

    8
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    Mute Sheila McNulty
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    Nov 8th 2024, 9:25 AM

    @Brian Hunt: well have him arrested & see how far u get

    1
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    Mute Ned
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    Nov 7th 2024, 5:44 PM

    Nobody should go to that out of touch UN elitist boondoggle get together by so called celebrities and their thousands of private jets.

    63
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    Mute Mark Murphy
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    Nov 7th 2024, 5:38 PM

    It’s simple Roddy, he’s putting distance between your party and loopy green policies.

    52
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    Mute Marvin Dollery
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    Nov 7th 2024, 4:52 PM

    He doesn’t want to associate with treasonous lizards who are hellbent on destroying life for Irish Citizens.

    79
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    Mute Pól Pot
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    Nov 7th 2024, 4:54 PM

    @Marvin Dollery: he hasn’t seen the 1995 documentary Waterworld.

    16
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    Mute Pól Pot
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    Nov 7th 2024, 5:02 PM

    @Pól Pot: Hopper went full John Pilger. Mandatory viewing in schools, please.

    7
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    Mute Declan Young
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    Nov 7th 2024, 5:59 PM

    For the Green crackpot party there is a lot more disappointment to come.

    47
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    Mute Brian Barry
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    Nov 7th 2024, 5:18 PM

    Why don’t yourself and Ray go and make a romantic weekend of it!

    31
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    Mute Des Daly
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    Nov 7th 2024, 6:37 PM

    The cult climate summit is always a great side-show entertainment

    26
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    Mute AnthonyK
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    Nov 7th 2024, 5:56 PM

    This country has been accused of ethnic cleansing. In 2023 they used a blockade of the Lachin corridor and a land invasion to cause the evacuation of the Armenian population out of Nagorno-Karabakh.

    But O’Gorman doesn’t mind…

    26
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    Mute Brian Hunt
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    Nov 7th 2024, 6:09 PM

    @AnthonyK: Woderic doesn’t give a damn about the Irish, never mind Armenians!

    49
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    Mute Martin Ridge
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    Nov 7th 2024, 7:27 PM

    Roll on the 29th get rid of that lot

    22
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    Mute John Hally
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    Nov 7th 2024, 9:17 PM

    They have no need for the Greens anymore. So they are of no relanve to either FF or FG now and Rodders is lost. And no one is really worried about climate change more the Company and Health and Homless and Immagration. Climate well down the line

    18
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    Mute JP
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    Nov 7th 2024, 5:41 PM

    Lovely spot is Azerbaijan.

    17
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    Mute Hunt Ley
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    Nov 7th 2024, 7:34 PM

    Whining bit@h.

    If his colleague Pippa Hackett had not eviscerated the forest estate, we’d be locking up carbon like crazy.
    Due to Green ideology, we are now prohibited from planting 90% of available land.
    The Greens have caused mayhem. He’d do well to belt up and reduce his CO2 emissions.
    I’m grateful he’s not going to breed.

    32
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    Mute Graham Austin
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    Nov 8th 2024, 6:54 AM

    These Green people are spanners. Just look at all the roads in Dublin they have destroyed to put in cycle lanes that nobody uses. You get to sit in traffic for hours now to make a relatively short journey.

    9
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    Mute Michale Kane
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    Nov 7th 2024, 5:22 PM

    Hmmm

    5
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    Mute pauley870
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    Nov 8th 2024, 7:14 AM

    Rodders no one cares about your meeting

    3
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    Mute Gerry Lamont
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    Nov 8th 2024, 8:02 AM

    Stay there and don’t come back you clown.

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    Mute Michael Lyons
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    Nov 8th 2024, 4:24 PM

    So so

    1
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