Nervous N. Ireland Cancels St. Paddy's Parade

Martin McGuinness was Irish Republican Army commander

(NEWSER) - Sinn Fein's Martin McGuinness has announced his candidacy for president of Ireland ; now come the inevitable questions over his former role in the IRA. Reporters this weekend asked about his stance on issues like the IRA murder of an Irish police officer in 1996; officials are also calling on McGuinness to open up about his history. "I have answered all these questions in the past,” he notes, saying people keep voting him into office “knowing that I am absolutely dedicated to a new way forward." More»

Warning comes day before queen's visit to Ireland

(NEWSER) - Irish militants called in a bomb threat targeting central London today, a day ahead of Queen Elizabeth’s visit to Ireland—the first visit by a British monarch in more than a century, Reuters reports. A source says the threat has some credibility because the caller uttered a codeword known to the police. The avenue approaching Buckingham Palace has been closed over a security threat, though officials wouldn’t give specifics. The militant group the Real IRA last month said the queen wasn’t welcome in Ireland. More»

Royal family may be reasserting control in Northern Ireland: Niall O'Dowd

(NEWSER) - William wore an Irish Guards uniform; Kate’s wedding dress featured lace shamrocks ; and along with his new status as Duke of Cambridge, Prince William has gained an Irish title: Baron Carrickfergus. Was it all a nod to the Irish, wonders Niall O’Ferguson at IrishCentral , or “something more in your face”—perhaps “a deliberate effort to state categorically that a part of Ireland was still under British rule and that the Irish could like it or lump it?” More»

There are no concrete threats, but they think it's a tempting target

(NEWSER) - British authorities are on high alert, afraid that the wedding of Prince Williams and Kate Middleton represents an all-too-juicy target for the so-called " Real IRA, " or another Irish militant group. Though there have been no specific threats, security officials tell ABC News that they have “concrete intelligence” that the Real IRA is trying to expand its operations to London, and that MI5 is now more focused on them than on al-Qaeda. More»

Including a 32-mile walk and the world's shortest parade

(NEWSER) - St. Patrick’s Day isn’t just about beer drinking and snake exterminating: there are a wealth of other odd traditions surrounding the holiday. AOL News reports on a few:

• For 35 years now, a Toronto man has walked to a town 32 miles away for a drink, honoring a tradition that dates back to Prohibition. Back then, it was the only place around that served beer.