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Shawn Pogatchnik

@pogatchnik.bsky.social
1.5K followers 414 following 132 posts

I'm the Ireland correspondent at POLITICO following a quarter-century's toil at the Associated Press. A Washington State native and Dubliner with a resilient love of Belfast.

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Shawn Pogatchnik @pogatchnik.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
My latest on today's resurrection of the Drumcree standoff, where I spent many days (and nights, writing and sleeping in my car) reporting the epic 1990s confrontations. Has links to old stories, including my LA Times piece describing the Garvaghy Road parade in 1991. www.politico.eu/article/nort...
politico.eu
Northern Ireland standoff puts peace and power-sharing at risk
A sudden revival of the 1990s confrontations between Orange Order marchers and Catholic demonstrators puts the police back in the middle — and leaders of Northern Ireland’s supposed unity governmen…
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Shawn Pogatchnik @pogatchnik.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
My latest on the fallout from a man punching Michael Healy-Rae in the face. One of my favorite things about working in Ireland is easy access to politicians, who have little security. Many people are on first-name terms with their TDs. This culture requires goodwill. www.politico.eu/article/secu...
politico.eu
Security for Ireland’s easy-access politicians dealt a blow
Prime minister calls attack on lawmaker Michael Healy-Rae a watershed moment in a country where he and others ‘can walk through our streets unhindered.’
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Shawn Pogatchnik @pogatchnik.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
This is a remarkable piece by @rachellavin.bsky.social. It must have involved great time and effort. The interactive map and data sets are particularly useful. A grim topic, but bravo!
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Shawn Pogatchnik @pogatchnik.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Have seen confused commentary suggesting today's meeting of Scottish, Welsh and Irish nationalist leaders was somehow linked to Trump's off-the-cuff remarks on Irish unity. This event's been in the works since shortly after Plaid Cymru's electoral breakthrough in May. www.politico.eu/article/nati...
politico.eu
Nationalist chiefs sign pact to make Burnham ‘the last UK prime minister’
A summit of Scottish, Irish and Welsh leaders follows U.S. President Donald Trump’s surprise backing of calls for a united Ireland.
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Shawn Pogatchnik @pogatchnik.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
Trump's outa here. Time for a drink. www.politico.com/news/2026/09...
politico.com
Trump cuts Ireland’s whiskey tariff as a parting gift
The president said Ireland’s distillers would no longer face tariffs as a thank-you gesture for his hosting of the Irish Open golf tournament.
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Shawn Pogatchnik @pogatchnik.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
The DUP's support for MAGA has been richly rewarded today. www.politico.eu/article/dona...
politico.eu
Trump says he would ‘love’ to see a united Ireland
“It’s going to happen eventually”, the U.S. president said in Dublin during a golf-focused trip to the long-divided island.
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Shawn Pogatchnik @pogatchnik.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
My latest on Trump's imminent arrival in Dublin. Trump is promoting his golfing property on the far side of the country. Ireland has its own interests. The country's exceptional fiscal health depends on US tech and drug firms, including the main Irish Open sponsor. www.politico.eu/article/irel...
politico.eu
Ireland aims to avoid the rough with golf-mad Trump
Irish authorities hope to shield Trump from protesters and keep his focus on the Irish Open golf tournament at his own Atlantic resort.
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Shawn Pogatchnik @pogatchnik.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
Crowds gathering outside St.Patrick’s Cathedral for the funeral of Glen Hansard. Just listening to his music play over the speakers.
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Shawn Pogatchnik @pogatchnik.bsky.social · 10/06/2026
My latest after a terrible night in Belfast. Potentially the first of several such nights. The masked men and boys have gotten more security-conscious, since some are already going through the courts after being ID'd amid similar bouts of street thuggery in 2024 and '25. It's dangerous to film them.
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Shawn Pogatchnik @pogatchnik.bsky.social · 24/05/2026
Midnight special: My latest on the Dublin Central by-election outcome. After a nine-round count, the SocDems' Ennis ended up besting Sinn Féin's Boylan 12,050 to 7,787. Not close. Greens and Fine Gael voters heavily favored Ennis; Boylan got most transfers from Hutch. www.politico.eu/article/sinn...
politico.eu
Sinn Féin’s twin failures in Irish by-elections pile pressure on party’s leader
Mary Lou McDonald, leader of Ireland’s chief opposition party since 2018, can’t deliver a win in her Dublin Central power base.
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Shawn Pogatchnik @pogatchnik.bsky.social · 20/05/2026
We've two by-elections in Ireland this weekend. In Dublin Central, transfers from a gangland figure cosplaying as a politician, Gerry Hutch, could determine the outcome. Presuming he doesn't win, it will be interesting to see where Hutch's votes end up. My latest: www.politico.eu/article/sinn...
politico.eu
Sinn Féin faces criminal kingpin in Dublin election
An open parliamentary seat in Dublin Central should be Sinn Féin’s for the taking. But the capital’s most famous mobster is on the ticket, too — and could determine the winner in Ireland’s complex …
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Shawn Pogatchnik @pogatchnik.bsky.social · 13/05/2026
My latest on Bertie's clumsy anti-immigrant turn on the doorsteps. He says today he has nothing against people from "the Congo," even though he tells the woman in the ambush video that Ireland has too many Africans. Hard to square those two versions of his reality. www.politico.eu/article/form...
politico.eu
Irish ex-PM caught making anti-African and anti-Muslim comments on election trail
Bertie Ahern, who was Ireland’s Taoiseach from 1997 to 2008, was responding to a potential voter who expressed anti-immigrant views — and had a hidden recording device.
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Shawn Pogatchnik @pogatchnik.bsky.social · 13/04/2026
On my morning walk through Dublin, I saw more gardaí on O'Connell Street than at any time since the weeks following the November 2023 riot. And even though parliament doesn't reconvene until tomorrow afternoon, the fuzz had locked down all roads approaching Leinster House and Government Buildings.
Kildare Street, 8am.
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Shawn Pogatchnik @pogatchnik.bsky.social · 12/04/2026
This package of tax cuts and deferrals, designed to lower the price of petrol and particularly diesel through July, won't be enough for most protesters--but the target is winning back the wider public. www.politico.eu/article/irel...
politico.eu
Ireland cuts tax on motor fuel as protests grip the country
The unrest has wreaked havoc on Ireland’s fuel supply network over the past week.
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Shawn Pogatchnik @pogatchnik.bsky.social · 11/04/2026
My report on the first security response to five days of road blockades. The protesters plan demos nationwide tomorrow, covering all 26 counties for the first time. Other key ports (Rosslare, Foynes, Galway) remain obstructed as police observe but do not intervene, so fuel shortages will persist.
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Shawn Pogatchnik @pogatchnik.bsky.social · 09/04/2026
My latest from Dublin, which remains an extremely walkable city.
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Shawn Pogatchnik @pogatchnik.bsky.social · 17/03/2026
My latest on Micheál Martin's annual tiptoeing through the Trump minefield. www.politico.eu/article/irel...
politico.eu
Ireland’s leader defends Starmer from Trump insults in White House meeting
Micheál Martin avoided the trap that snared Germany’s chancellor by politely pushing back as Donald Trump slammed Keir Starmer, NATO and migration to Europe.
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Shawn Pogatchnik @pogatchnik.bsky.social · 13/02/2026
The Social Democrats issued this apology to ex-Justice Minister Alan Shatter around 5:45pm Friday (in an obvious bid to minimize news coverage). This comes two weeks after one of their TDs reposted a far-right slander of Shatter, who for many years was Ireland's most prominent Jewish politician.
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Shawn Pogatchnik @pogatchnik.bsky.social · 10/02/2026
Seamus Culleton and his family long feared that speaking out could make his ICE ordeal even worse. Their interviews to the Irish Times and RTÉ have put his case squarely on the Irish political agenda. Will it still be there when the Taoiseach visits the White House? www.politico.eu/article/irel...
politico.eu
Ireland pushing to free citizen held by ICE in Texas
Irish PM Micheál Martin is wary of provoking the U.S. administration, but behind-the-scenes efforts to free Seamus Culleton from ICE custody have proven fruitless, an Irish official tells POLITICO.…
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Shawn Pogatchnik @pogatchnik.bsky.social · 03/02/2026
The current seating plan for this afternoon's Screen 13 presentation of 'Melania' at Dublin Cineworld (the biggest cinema in Ireland). One seat sold, only 136 still available ...
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Bellingcat @bellingcat.com · 24/01/2026
Federal law enforcement agents shot and killed a man in Minneapolis on Jan. 24 according to local police officials. DHS told Fox News that the man was “armed with a gun”. A video of the shooting appears to show that a gun was taken from the man before the first shot was fired. x.com/BillMelugin_...
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Richard Chambers @newschambers.bsky.social · 08/01/2026
If there was a child porn factory down the road, it’d be closed immediately. The Govt’s response wouldn’t be “hang on, they let us print flyers there too”.
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Walter Olson @walterolson.bsky.social · 06/01/2026
Five years ago.
Front pages of American newspapers after Jan. 6, 2021, with headlines like "Capitol Chaos," "Assault on Democracy," "Pro-Trump mob storms Capitol."
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Timothy Burke @bubbaprog.xyz · 23/12/2025
The full spiked 60 Minutes CECOT package, clean & subtitled. 1/5
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Shawn Pogatchnik @pogatchnik.bsky.social · 11/12/2025
Ireland was already committed to spending €1.1bn on military projects for 2026-30, so today's announcement represents a €600m hike. Much will go on radar and sonar, even more on aircraft. Recruitment and retention remains a fundamental problem. www.politico.eu/article/irel...
politico.eu
Ireland unveils €1.7 billion plan to beef up its weak defenses
The non-NATO member wants to erect drone defenses in time for next year’s EU presidency.
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Shawn Pogatchnik @pogatchnik.bsky.social · 02/12/2025
Zelenskyy's hand-written message in the visitor's book on arrival at Áras an Úachtaráin, where he's meeting Ireland's newly elected president, Catherine Connolly: "I express my sincere gratitude for Ireland's steadfast support during our fight against Russian aggression."
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Shawn Pogatchnik @pogatchnik.bsky.social · 18/11/2025
Paschal Donohoe won credit from colleagues for easing friction inside Ireland's coalition government. Now his diplomatic skills go to Washington. He leaves Fine Gael with no obvious successor in Dublin Central, where Sinn Féin could win a second seat beside Mary Lou. www.politico.eu/article/euro...
politico.eu
Eurogroup President Paschal Donohoe quits as Irish finance minister
Donohoe will become managing director and chief knowledge officer at the World Bank.
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Shawn Pogatchnik @pogatchnik.bsky.social · 25/10/2025
My latest on Catherine Connolly's even bigger-than-expected win. It was interesting to see her share the stage at Dublin Castle with the FF and FG leaders she's just humbled. Good grace shown by all. Next up: a byelection to fill Connolly's Galway West seat. www.politico.eu/article/irel...
politico.eu
Ireland elects left-wing president in anti-government landslide
Catherine Connolly’s lop-sided victory to be Ireland’s next head of state was accompanied by a surge in vandalized ballots from right-wing voters.
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Shawn Pogatchnik @pogatchnik.bsky.social · 23/10/2025
My latest on the imminent coronation of Catherine Connolly, and yes I've included a hyperlink to her keepie-uppies.
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Shawn Pogatchnik @pogatchnik.bsky.social · 06/10/2025
My latest on Martin's misguided pick of Jim Gavin for president. This week's meeting of Fianna Fáil TDs and senators should provide a platform for those seeking a new leader before Martin's due to step down as Taoiseach in Dec2027. Who takes the fall for Calamity Jim? www.politico.eu/article/mich...
politico.eu
Micheál Martin’s future as Irish PM in doubt as his presidential pick crashes out
Political novice Jim Gavin quit the election race to become Ireland’s next head of state after being accused of being a rip-off landlord.
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KOJAMF🤘🖤🤘 @kojamf.bsky.social · 05/10/2025
Dr. Jane Goodall filmed an interview with Netflix in March 2025 that she understood would only be released after her death.
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Shawn Pogatchnik @pogatchnik.bsky.social · 24/09/2025
After months of no-hopers declaring they'd run for president, we're left with 3 candidates backed by the heavyweights: Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and Sinn Féin. It'll be one leftie vs the broad-church parties of government. The top choice of the right can't make the cut. www.politico.eu/article/irel...
politico.eu
Ireland’s presidential election will be a 3-way fight
A Catholic conservative from Ireland’s outgunned right, Maria Steen, fails in her last-ditch bid to join Catherine Connolly, Jim Gavin and Heather Humphreys on the Oct. 24 ballot.
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Shawn Pogatchnik @pogatchnik.bsky.social · 15/09/2025
My latest on the Irish presidential race. Unsurprisingly, Conor McGregor won't be on the ballot. By submitting now, he avoids what would have been his first real political test: seeking a nomination from Dublin City Council. He never bothered to come back to Ireland before throwing in the towel.
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Shawn Pogatchnik @pogatchnik.bsky.social · 09/09/2025
Here's my latest on Fianna Fáil picking political newcomer Jim Gavin to run for president. The backbenchers' sizable anti-Gav vote doesn't bode well. It's such a wildcard pick. He may be a strong campaigner. But will the GAA grassroots deliver goodwill outside Dublin? www.politico.eu/article/irel...
politico.eu
Gaelic football legend wins spot on Ireland’s presidential ballot
Jim Gavin — a former air force pilot and successful Dublin football manager — is the PM’s pick to compete in the Oct. 24 election.
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Shawn Pogatchnik @pogatchnik.bsky.social · 14/08/2025
Catherine Connolly's bid for the Áras just got an unexpected boost. Much depends on whether FF and SF both run candidates. If either opts out, their councilors are more likely to put wildcard candidates on the ballot. The threshold for nominations via councils is low. www.politico.eu/article/mair...
politico.eu
Mairead McGuinness quits Irish presidential race
Ex-EU commissioner cites health reasons as her Fine Gael party calls move “an awful shock.”
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Shawn Pogatchnik @pogatchnik.bsky.social · 16/07/2025
My latest on the opening moves of Ireland's presidential race. Will Micheál run? No. Will Mary Lou? Possibly, but risk aversion likely wins out. The election-tilting wild card, if either FF or SF can play it: a 'celebrity' candidate from outside established political ranks. Brace for disappointment!
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Shawn Pogatchnik @pogatchnik.bsky.social · 13/06/2025
Here's my latest on the Ballymena rioting and its spread this week to other loyalist quarters. Context for U.S. readers: There's been more real trouble in Northern Ireland this month than in Los Angeles (with its three briefly burning, endlessly broadcast Waymos). www.politico.eu/article/immi...
politico.eu
Immigrants to Northern Ireland face new wave of terror
Police seek reinforcements to protect homes this weekend from racist mobs spurred by an alleged crime in Ballymena.
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Shawn Pogatchnik @pogatchnik.bsky.social · 30/05/2025
Story's up on Gerry Adams' libel win vs the BBC. The outcome could well have been different had he filed suit in the UK. Says the €100k will go to 'charitable causes.' www.politico.eu/article/ex-s...
politico.eu
Ex-Sinn Féin chief Gerry Adams wins libel award over BBC investigation linking him to IRA killing
The 76-year-old says he sued in plaintiff-friendly Dublin, not Belfast, to “put manners on the BBC.”
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David Ho @davidho.bsky.social · 25/05/2025
Hard to believe they’re talking about the same event.
Headline from the independent: Trump gives rambling speech about trophy wives, golf and the 'great late' Al Capone in politically-charged West Point addressHeadline from the New York Times: Trump Gives Commencement Address at West Point, Stressing a New Era
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Danny Deraney @dannyderaney.bsky.social · 26/05/2025
Every year on Memorial Day, I share this video of French caretakers who take sand from Omaha Beach in Normandy, and scrub them into the letters to give them the gold coloring. They do this for all 9,386 US soldiers who died. France also gave us this land as American soil.
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Noah Barkin @noahbarkin.bsky.social · 02/05/2025
Rubio publicly criticizing an ally for cracking down on right-wing extremism. And Germany hitting back. We are in a new world
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Shawn Pogatchnik @pogatchnik.bsky.social · 26/03/2025
It doesn't look like Verona Murphy will go voluntarily as Ceann Comhairle, so a formal no-confidence motion on Tuesday seems a certainty. Once the opposition loses that vote, where then? The Leinster House one-stop shop will need to start issuing earplugs. www.politico.eu/article/sinn...
politico.eu
Sinn Féin demands resignation of Ireland’s parliament speaker
Prime Minister Micheál Martin vows to resist Sinn Féin’s campaign of “total opposition” in showdown that has crippled the ability of the Dáil Éireann parliament to function.
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Shawn Pogatchnik @pogatchnik.bsky.social · 25/03/2025
Hard to see how this ends. Martin keeps wanting to describe it as a fight over an 8-minute speaking slot, but it's all about Michael Lowry and his two fingers. Verona Murphy's hold of the speaker's chair is slipping. www.politico.eu/article/chao...
politico.eu
Chaos as Ireland’s opposition shouts down speaker, shuts down parliament
Government forces through new speaking rules — but the Sinn Féin-led opposition makes it impossible for the other side to speak at all.
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Frank Sauer @drfranksauer.bsky.social · 24/03/2025
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Shawn Pogatchnik @pogatchnik.bsky.social · 17/03/2025
Twitter is its usual celebration of reason tonight. A happy St. Patrick's Day for all!
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Shawn Pogatchnik @pogatchnik.bsky.social · 17/03/2025
The birth of a new St. Patrick's tradition: Trump and McGregor can compare notes on their sexual assault cases. www.politico.eu/article/iris...
politico.eu
Trump to meet controversial Irish fighter Conor McGregor for St. Patrick’s Day
The former mixed martial arts champ — recently found civilly liable in Ireland for raping a Dublin woman — brings his anti-immigration message to the White House.
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Shawn Pogatchnik @pogatchnik.bsky.social · 12/03/2025
My latest on the day's White House 'diplomacy.' I didn't mention JD's socks. (Indeed, I didn't mention JD at all.) www.politico.eu/article/dona...
politico.eu
Trump doesn’t want ‘to hurt Ireland’ — but he might
Ireland’s visiting prime minister endures an excruciating 45 minutes in Trump’s live-TV star chamber as the U.S. leader swings at Brussels, not Dublin.
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Shawn Pogatchnik @pogatchnik.bsky.social · 11/03/2025
Setting the scene for tomorrow's Taoiseach-Trump 'diplomacy' ... www.politico.eu/article/irel...
politico.eu
Ireland’s leader seeks to survive a brush with Trump
White House events for St. Patrick’s Day are normally a diplomatic dream for Dublin. This year is completely different — and dangerous for Ireland’s America-fueled economy.
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George Monbiot @georgemonbiot.bsky.social · 07/03/2025
This guy, @albertburneko.bsky.social, is a genius. Please read his brilliant article on Elon Musk's deranged and morally repugnant Mars colonisation schtick. defector.com/neither-elon...
defector.com
Neither Elon Musk Nor Anybody Else Will Ever Colonize Mars | Defector
Mars does not have a magnetosphere. Any discussion of humans ever settling the red planet can stop right there, but of course it never does. Do you have a low-cost plan for, uh, creating a gigantic ac...
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The Diplomat @thediplomat.com · 07/03/2025
In ending the war in Afghanistan, the U.S. belittled and sidelined its partner in favor of engaging with the enemy. The result can hardly be called a success.
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With Ukraine, the US Is Repeating Mistakes Made in Afghanistan
In ending the war in Afghanistan, the U.S. belittled and sidelined its partner in favor of engaging with the enemy. The result can hardly be called a success.
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