# Simon Coveney

Last week

15th January 2023 - 28th January 2023

# Leaders' Questions

Taoiseach defends Paschal Donohoe as minister due to make Dáil statement on undeclared donations

Opposition TDs have called for a full explanation from the Minister, as well as the opportunity to ask questions.

9.7k

Updated Jan 18th 2023, 1:32 PM

# ethics

'He's fully corrected the record': Coveney defends Donohoe over undeclared donation

Coveney said he believes that Donohoe has given a “very detailed explanation as to what happened”.

5.5k

Jan 17th 2023, 1:31 PM

Last month

December 2022

# Donal de Roiste

Former army lieutenant Dónal de Róiste welcomes apology for 'flawed and unfair' dismissal

A review has found that his dismissal more than 50 years ago ‘was made on foot of a fundamentally flawed and unfair process’.

20.1k

Dec 8th 2022, 9:36 AM

# United Nations

Russian invasion of Ukraine and veto undermines UN Security Council, Coveney says

Coveney believes Ireland has had a “sustained and positive impact” during its two-year term on the council.

10.5k

Dec 6th 2022, 6:59 PM

# strategic risk

Irish Army captain: dangers of live fire exercise an increased risk due to staffing shortfalls

Capt Karl Muckian said that such is the shortfall that the issue should be added to the strategic risk register.

21.9k

Dec 5th 2022, 12:05 AM

Last year

2022

# irish embassy opening

Coveney stresses value of 'diplomatic channels' amid row over Tehran embassy

Opening an Irish embassy in the Iranian capital is being kept under review.

12.3k

Nov 30th 2022, 8:26 PM

# RACO conference

'Existential crisis' in Defence as officers' group declare recruitment target unachievable

The Representative Association of Commissioned Officers (RACO) are in Naas, Co Kildare for their annual conference.

21.4k

Updated Nov 29th 2022, 5:29 PM

# World Cup

Coveney criticises Fifa's 'extraordinary' decision on One Love armbands

Under Fifa’s rules, players wearing kit that is not authorised by the governing body could be shown a yellow card.

16.6k

Nov 23rd 2022, 6:12 PM

# ireland's triple-lock

Motion on Ireland remaining a militarily neutral state won't be opposed by Government

Taoiseach says scrapping the triple-lock is not in the Programme for Government.

18.3k

Nov 23rd 2022, 6:30 AM

# triple lock

Change to triple-lock mechanism 'sensible' due to changed global situation, says Coveney

A motion at the Fine Gael Ard Fheis is calling for a the triple-lock to be turned into a double-lock.

20.2k

Nov 19th 2022, 11:26 AM

# Sanctions

Politicians confirm they're on Russia's travel ban list as Taoiseach calls move 'classic diversion'

Minister Simon Coveney said the sanctions were “an attempt to unsettle Ireland and our political system”.

20.2k

Updated Nov 18th 2022, 2:40 PM

# Cabinet Reshuffle

Minister Simon Coveney says he would 'understand' if he's reshuffled out of Foreign Affairs

The Minister for Foreign Affairs said he loves his job and would like to stay there but that decisions have to be taken.

16.3k

Nov 15th 2022, 10:13 AM

# Blackpool

Taoiseach Micheál Martin meets UK PM Rishi Sunak at summit in Blackpool

Sunak first UK prime minister to attend the British-Irish Council in 15 years .

23.1k

Updated Nov 10th 2022, 4:41 PM

# Climate Finance

'People are dying': Coveney meets leaders of climate-vulnerable countries at COP27

Coveney is spending the day at the conference in Sharm El-Sheikh, the second Irish politician to attend this year.

12.2k

Updated Nov 9th 2022, 6:45 PM

# Northern Ireland

Coveney says UK-EU post-Brexit deal is 'doable' by the end of the year

It comes after the European Commission vice president said a deal could happen within weeks with the right “political will”.

7.6k

Nov 8th 2022, 10:09 PM

# PSNI

PSNI chief says ‘calm the rhetoric’ as fears raised of loyalist violence

Referring to a bomb scare at an event involving Simon Coveney earlier this year, the chief constable said police can’t have full knowledge of everything.

12.9k

Nov 3rd 2022, 1:51 PM

# COP27

British PM Rishi Sunak makes sudden u-turn on attending Cop27 climate summit in Egypt

Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney welcomed the u-turn.

13.8k

Nov 2nd 2022, 2:28 PM

# UK Economy

Stability of UK economy in Ireland’s interest, says finance minister

Paschal Donohoe said he hopes close cooperation between the two countries can resume with a new UK prime minister.

6.3k

Oct 21st 2022, 11:21 AM

# Ukraine War

Hundreds of Ukrainian towns without power after 'kamikaze drones' strike Kyiv

Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney has labelled the drone strikes “state sponsored terrorism”.

32.1k

Updated Oct 17th 2022, 1:05 PM

# The North

All efforts needed to avoid fresh Stormont elections, Coveney says during trip to Belfast

The Foreign Affairs Minister was meeting with Northern Ireland political parties in Belfast.

8.5k

Oct 12th 2022, 8:09 PM

# NI Protocol

Coveney: Politicians ‘may need to surprise people’ to resolve row over NI Protocol

The Foreign Affairs Minister met with Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris in London today.

21.6k

Updated Oct 7th 2022, 4:15 PM

THE MORNING LEAD

Coveney: 'No arms industry' but Ireland should explore military trade opportunities

A report by

Niall O'Connor

The event, entitled “Building the ecosystem, Identifying connections for collaborations in security, defence and dual-use technologies”, was held in the Aviva Stadium.

25.5k

Oct 7th 2022, 12:05 AM

# Security

Ireland to join European centre for countering hybrid threats such as cyber and disinformation

The centre allows member states to develop responses to the activities of adversaries below the threshold of war.

8.1k

Oct 6th 2022, 6:00 AM

# Defence

Ireland to step up security around offshore pipelines after Nord Stream blasts

Simon Coveney said there will be an increase in patrols by the Naval Service and Air Corps.

18.2k

Oct 4th 2022, 7:05 PM

# EU Sanctions

EU seeks trade sanctions on Russia over ‘sham’ Ukraine votes

Simon Coveney said the results don’t ‘truly reflect what people in those parts of Ukraine actually want’.

8.6k

Sep 28th 2022, 6:09 PM

# Brexit

Barnier says EU 'must not and will not back down' on Northern Ireland Protocol

Simon Coveney also met with the new NI Secretary Chris Heaton-Harris at Hillsborough Castle today.

14.8k

Updated Sep 28th 2022, 4:32 PM

# Northern Ireland

Coveney: No surprise in Northern census results but good relationships needed before border poll

Coveney and Doherty were speaking after it emerged that catholics now outnumber protestants in Northern Ireland.

8.8k

Sep 23rd 2022, 9:26 AM

# United Nations

Ireland 'deeply frustrated' at Security Council’s failure to act on Russia, Palestine and climate change

Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney addressed the UN Security Council in New York earlier today.

48.3k

Updated Sep 23rd 2022, 7:00 AM

# New York

Coveney says US President Joe Biden hopes a trip to Ireland can happen soon

The Taoiseach first invited the US president to visit Ireland when Biden was elected in November 2020.

11.7k

Sep 22nd 2022, 9:03 PM

# Row

'Not enough money and they know it': Tommy Tiernan reiterates criticism of Govt overseas aid budget

The comedian was responding to comments made by Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney at the UN summit in New York.

34.8k

Sep 22nd 2022, 3:25 PM

# New York

Ukraine conflict: Coveney expecting 'abrasive' exchanges at pivotal UN Security Council meeting

Minister Simon Coveney will be around the table with Russia’s Foreign Affairs Minister Sergey Lavrov.

Today's UN Security Council meeting is being considered as the most high-profile engagement of Ireland’s two-year term on the body.

All five permanent members of the Council will be in attendance for the first time since the war in Ukraine began.

Coveney said the idea of a ceasefire and peace agreement "seems like quite a way off".

22.1k

Updated Sep 22nd 2022, 6:58 AM

# New York

Coveney responds to Tommy Tiernan's criticisms of Irish Govt's overseas development shortfalls

Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney says next week’s budget will see a significant increase in the overseas aid budget.

41.9k

Sep 21st 2022, 5:55 PM

# New York

Key week for Ireland's term on UN Security Council during Ukraine-dominated General Assembly

Taoiseach Micheál Martin will also arrive in New York later today.

11.9k

Updated Sep 21st 2022, 2:19 PM

# Ukraine

Ukrainian official says 99% of bodies exhumed in Izyum have 'signs of violent death'

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said some of the remains exhumed included children and people who were likely tortured before dying.

70.4k

Updated Sep 16th 2022, 10:50 PM

# grain export

Minister Coveney meets Ukrainian foreign minister on one-day visit to Odesa

‘This is about solidarity, its about understanding what’s happening on the ground in Ukraine,’ the minister said.

20.3k

Updated Sep 14th 2022, 6:57 PM

# energy costs

Varadkar says potential price caps on energy bills have 'echoes of the bank guarantee'

Speaking today, Varadkar said that he is not ruling out price caps, but added that he was nervous about it.

20.4k

Sep 14th 2022, 5:11 PM

# budget 2023

Coveney says government is 'ruling nothing out' in response to cost-of-living crisis

The Foreign Affairs Minister warned “this isn’t a crisis that is going to go away quickly”.

30.7k

Sep 11th 2022, 2:44 PM

# Islamabad

Ireland to open Embassy in Pakistan alongside Consulate Generals in Milan and Munich

It’s part of the Global Ireland programme which aims to ‘double Ireland’s global footprint by 2025′.

7.9k

Sep 7th 2022, 2:47 PM

# liz truss

New UK PM: Taoiseach congratulates Truss on election as Tory leader

Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney called for Truss to change the direction of UK-Irish relations,

24.5k

Updated Sep 5th 2022, 6:15 PM

# Ukraine

Coveney backs more EU training of Ukrainian troops at foreign ministers meeting in Prague

The ministers are expected to discuss the proposal to restrict Russian visas to the bloc at the two-day meeting.

22.6k

Updated Aug 30th 2022, 7:47 PM