Our travel expert Gabe Saglie uncovers the origins of Halloween in Ireland where the spooky holiday began thousands of years ago! Plus, he shared highlights from his epic road trip with his son across one of the world's most beautiful travel destinations.

We're heading into the weekend with some Irish culture. The Cass-Barrington Academy of Irish Dance is here! They're fresh off a national win and will show us a preview of why they're hard to beat plus, how you can sign up to try for yourself!

The European Union’s top court has rejected Apple’s final legal challenge against an order from the bloc’s executive commission to repay 13 billion euros ($14.34 billion) in back taxes to Ireland, bringing an end to the long-running dispute.

Ireland and the European Union's top diplomat have urged the bloc to review its relations with Israel as the death toll mounts in Gaza and the West Bank.

Irish police say a driver has been arrested in Dublin after crashing his van into gates outside the offices of the prime minister and several other government buildings.

Edna O’Brien has died at age 93.

Three sisters of an Irish-born recipient of the Navy Cross have christened a U.S. Navy warship bearing his name — and have secured a promise that the ship will visit Ireland.

A Dublin museum has pulled a wax figure of Sinéad O’Connor from its collection after fans and family members complained that it did not compare to how the late singer looked.

Aer Lingus pilots say they will resume talks with the Irish airline after they launched an industrial action that led to the cancellation of hundreds of flights and tossed the travel plans of tens of thousands into disarray.

Pakistan won the toss and chose to bowl first against Ireland with both teams aiming to bow out of the Twenty20 World Cup with a consolation win.

The United States cricket team has made more history by qualifying for the second round in its Twenty20 World Cup debut after its last group game against Ireland was washed out in Florida.

Padraig Harrington never thought much about the World Golf Hall of Fame when he was growing up in Ireland.

Voters in Ireland and the Czech Republic are going to the polls on the second day of the elections for the European Paraliament.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has met with Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa and leading officials from several Middle Eastern countries in Madrid a day after Spain, Ireland and Norway recognized a Palestinian state.

Spain, Norway and Ireland have formally recognized a Palestinian state in a coordinated effort that adds more pressure on Israel to soften its devastating response to last year’s Hamas attack.

Relations between the European Union and Israel are in a nosedive on the eve of the diplomatic recognition of a Palestinian state by EU members Ireland and Spain.

The record-setting run of Bayer Leverkusen is over at 51 games.

Bayer Leverkusen coach Xabi Alonso has opted to start Argentina midfielder Exequiel Palacios over Robert Andrich in the Europa League final against Atalanta in Dublin.

The video screen “Portal” that lets people in New York and Dublin peer into life on opposite sides of the Atlantic in real time has been a source of whimsical delight, but also a magnet for boorish behavior that’s prompted officials to hit pause for now.

Acts from more than two dozen countries will take the stage in Malmo, Sweden, to compete in the final of the Eurovision Song Contest.

While some American cities celebrated St. Patrick’s Day a day early, others, including Boston, one of the most Irish cities in the country, kicked off parades and festivities on Sunday.

St. Patrick’s Day is more than just a day to wear green and drink Guinness; it’s a celebration of Irish identity, heritage, and resilience.

If it’s March, and it’s green, it must be St. Patrick’s Day.

With St. Patrick’s Day coming up this weekend, President Joe Biden is dwelling on one of his favorite subjects: Ireland.

Shane Lowry knows he's playing good golf.

Shane Lowry nearly won at PGA National two years ago.

Devotees of St. Brigid are commemorating the 1,500th anniversary of her death on Thursday, the feast day of the so-called matron saint of Ireland.

The Biden administration is planning to construct a new U.S. embassy in Ireland.

Israel’s Foreign Ministry says it will summon the Irish ambassador over a tweet celebrating the release of a 9-year-old girl from Hamas captivity.

Ireland’s prime minister has condemned anti-immigrant protesters who rampaged through central Dublin after three young children were stabbed, saying the rioters simply wanted to cause chaos, not protect the country’s way of life.

The Netherlands, Switzerland and Romania have all secured places at next year’s European Championship.

Apple might end up on the hook after all for billions of euros in back taxes to Ireland in the latest twist in a longrunning European Union dispute.

The Irish economy is getting a boost from the Notre Dame football game in Dublin.

Europe's economy is growing again — but not by much.

Canada recovered from conceding directly from a corner kick to seal a come-from-behind 2-1 win over Ireland at the Women’s World Cup.

Australia got off to a winning start at the Women’s World Cup by beating Ireland 1-0 despite the absence of star striker Sam Kerr.

New Zealand’s Football Ferns are aiming to win fans as well as matches at the Women's World Cup.

Padraig Harrington is not ruling out his chances of playing in another Ryder Cup.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met Thursday with Swedish environmental activist Greta Thunberg and prominent European figures who are forming a working group to address ecological damage from the 16-month-old Russian invasion.

The Irish government has launched an initiative called “Our Living Islands,” a 10-year plan that aims to revitalize more than a dozen islands off the country’s coast.

Leona Maguire of Ireland birdied four of her final six holes for a 3-under 68 and a one-shot lead over three players Friday at the halfway point of the KMPG Women’s PGA Championship at Baltusrol.

U.S. national team captain Becky Sauerbrunn has a right foot injury that will keep her out of the Women’s World Cup next month.

Katie Taylor had Olympic dreams long before she became one of the faces of women’s professional boxing.

President Joe Biden has greeted hundreds of children at the White House for Take Our Kids to Work Day.

The Dutch government has unveiled a new package to slash carbon emissions by promoting clean energy, sustainable homes and industry and the use of electric cars among other a raft of measures to combat climate change.

The United States is facing some uncertainty as it prepares for the approaching Women’s World Cup with forward Mallory Swanson sidelined by a serious knee injury for the foreseeable future.

U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has praised the bravery of political leaders who struck the Good Friday peace accord 25 years ago as he urged Northern Ireland’s current politicians to return to work.

Forward Mallory Swanson has a torn patella tendon in her left knee, leaving her chances of playing for the United States in this summer’s Women’s World Cup in doubt.

Emily Fox and Lindsey Horan both scored for the United States in a 2-0 victory Saturday over Ireland that was marred by what appeared to be a serious left knee injury to Mallory Swanson.

Forward Mallory Swanson was carted off the field during the first half of the United States’ exhibition match Saturday against Ireland with an apparent left knee injury, a blow to the national team ahead of this summer’s Women’s World Cup.

Excitement is building in Ballina, a small Irish town that was home to some of President Joe Biden's ancestors.

Lebanon will construct a $122 million terminal at Beirut’s Rafik Hariri International Airport to be operated by a leading Irish airport company when it’s completed in four years,.

Cities across the United States are celebrating St. Patrick's Day Parades, kicking off a weekend of revelry.

A petition outlining new evidence in one of Hawaii’s biggest criminal cases asks a judge to release a Native Hawaiian man who has spent more than 20 years in prison for the sexual assault, kidnapping and murder of a white woman on the Big Island.

Ireland has fined WhatsApp for breaching strict European Union privacy rules by forcing users to consent to allow their personal data to be used to provide “service improvements and security.”.

European Union regulators have hit Facebook parent Meta with hundreds of millions in fines for privacy violations and banned the company from forcing users in the 27-nation bloc to agree to personalized ads based on their online activity.

Thousands of nurses have walked off their jobs in England, joining ambulance and postal workers, bus drivers and airport baggage handlers who have staged strikes or planned them this month.

Authorities say the death toll from a gas station explosion in a small village in northwest Ireland has risen to nine.

The former Irish President has called on African nations to pile on the pressure on rich, heavily-polluting countries to fulfill their climate pledges to the continent during a visit to Uganda.

In the postgame analysis, free beer at the Nebraska-Northwestern game in Ireland was the right call.

European Union nations have approved fresh aid for Ukraine as the country faces growing economic damage from Russia’s invasion.

Katie Taylor remained the undisputed lightweight champion in a thrilling first women’s boxing match to headline at Madison Square Garden, edging Amanda Serrano in a split decision.

The British government is defending its Ukraine refugee policy despite figures indicating that only 12,000 Ukrainians fleeing the war have arrived in the U.K. The figure from the government includes 10,800 people who came to join family members in Britain, and just 1,200 under the Homes for Ukraine program set up to match refuges with volunteer hosts.

St. Patrick’s Day is here! How much do you know about the holiday, beyond the green beer? Do you know anything about St. Patrick himself, or why we celebrate?

After a 3-year hiatus, tourists can finally celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in Ireland.

Elsa Desmond knows she’s not going to medal at the Beijing Olympics.

France says it will start administering Pfizer’s coronavirus antiviral drug this week, the first pill for treating COVID-19 approved in the 27-nation EU.

Russia says it will relocate naval exercises off the coast of Ireland after Dublin raised concerns about them amid the tense dispute with the West over expansion of the NATO alliance and fears that Russia is preparing to invade Ukraine.

Hundreds of mourners in Ireland have turned out for the funeral Mass of a 23-year-old elementary school teacher whose killing has reignited debate about how to tackle violence against women.

McDonald's plans to "drastically" reduce the plastic in its Happy Meal toys worldwide by 2025.

McDonald’s will begin selling a vegan burger in the United Kingdom and Ireland this month.

A man whom U.S. authorities have described as the world’s largest purveyor of child pornography would be sentenced to 21 to 27 years in prison under the terms of a new plea deal.

The Sinkovic brothers won gold in men's pair, and Ireland won its first Olympic rowing gold in lightweight men's double sculls.

The United States moved to 2-0 in men's rugby pool play, advancing to the Olympic knockout stage for the first time.

A new-look Ireland passed an audition when it thrashed the United States 71-10 at Lansdowne Road.

The EU's top court has ruled Facebook can face privacy challenges from watchdogs in any of the bloc’s member states, not just its lead regulator in Ireland.

Ireland’s health service says it has shut down its IT systems after being targeted in a ransomware attack by what it called “international criminals.”.

Ireland’s privacy regulator says it opened an investigation into Facebook after reports data on more than 500 million of its users was found dumped online.

Authorities in Northern Ireland are seeking to restore calm after Protestant and Catholic youths in Belfast hurled bricks, fireworks and gasoline bombs at police and each other.

Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo reacts during the World Cup 2022 group A qualifying soccer match between Serbia and Portugal at the Rajko Mitic stadium in Belgrade, Serbia, Saturday, March 27, 2021. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)Portugal and Belgium were left frustrated by draws in their World Cup qualifying matches. Stéphanie Frappart made more history as the first woman to referee a men's World Cup qualifier as the Netherlands beat Latvia 2-0. TV replays indicated the ball did cross the line, but goal-line technology and video review aren't used in the World Cup qualifiers. Artem Dzyuba scored both of Russia's goals to move within one goal of the Russian team record of 30 held by retired striker Alexander Kerzhakov.

(AP Photo/Frank Augstein, file)The divorce between the U.K. and the EU is turning nastier by the day. AdOn March 3 the U.K. decided to unilaterally extend a grace period until October on checks for goods moving between Britain and Northern Ireland. “They are lawful and part of a progressive and good faith implementation of the Northern Ireland Protocol," the spokesperson said in a statement. AdThe U.K. government said that it saw challenges that businesses like supermarkets faced in Northern Ireland in the first weeks of the year. Only last week, the leaders of the EU and the U.K. went head-to-head in an angry exchange over vaccine exports.

A medical clinic that was looted and vandalized in Zana, is seen in the Tigray region of northern Ethiopia Tuesday, Feb. 9, 2021. The United Nations in its latest humanitarian report on the situation in Tigray says the "humanitarian situation continues to deteriorate" as fighting intensifies across the northern region. Three council diplomats said Ireland, which drafted the statement, decided not to push for approval after objections from the three countries. India only wanted a minor change, and Russia reportedly supported its ally China at the last minute, the diplomats said. It called on the U.N. to urgently establish an independent inquiry into war crimes and possible crimes against humanity in Tigray.

European Council President Charles Michel, top of screen, takes part in an EU Summit, via videoconference link, at the European Council building in Brussels, Thursday, Feb. 25, 2021. The leaders also said that restrictions, including on travel, should remain in place in many parts of the 27-nation bloc. The EU has partly blamed supply delays for lagging far behind nations like Israel, the United States and Britain when it comes to vaccinations. By early this week, 6.5% of the adults living in the EU had been vaccinated, compared to more than 27% in the U.K. He also raised concern about other issues, like the exclusion of those who have not been vaccinated, or cannot be.

WASHINGTON – President Joe Biden on Monday reinstated COVID-19 travel restrictions on most non-U.S. travelers from Brazil, Ireland, the United Kingdom and 26 other European countries that allow travel across open borders. “This isn’t the time to be lifting restrictions on international travel,” Psaki said. “We have concern about the mutation that’s in South Africa," Fauci told "CBS This Morning." Biden's team had announced that he would reimpose the travel restrictions, but the addition of South Africa to the restricted travel list highlights the new administration’s concern about mutations in the virus. The South Africa variant has not been discovered in the United States, but another variant — originating in the United Kingdom — has been detected in several states.

FILE - In this file photo dated Thursday, Dec. 10, 2020, Ireland's Prime Minister Micheal Martin speaks as he arrives at the European Council building in Brussels. The inquiry was part of a process of reckoning in overwhelmingly Roman Catholic Ireland, where church-run institutions were often tied to a history of abuse. The report said 15% of all children in the homes died from disease and infections like stomach flu, almost double the nationwide infant mortality rate. The mothers were abandoned by their families and hidden away out of shame, and many of the children were separated from their mothers for adoption. The commission of inquiry said about 56,000 unmarried mothers and about 57,000 children had lived in the homes it investigated.

Prime Minister Micheal Martin said young women and their children had paid a heavy price for Ireland’s “perverse religious morality” in past decades. The final report of an inquiry into the mother-and-baby homes said that 9,000 children died in 18 different mother and baby homes during the 20th century. Fifteen percent of all children in the homes died, almost double the nationwide infant mortality rate, the report said. Church-run homes in Ireland housed orphans, unmarried pregnant women and their babies for most of the 20th century. “While mother and baby homes were not a peculiarly Irish phenomenon, the proportion of Irish unmarried mothers who were admitted to mother and baby homes or (state-run) county homes in the 20th century was probably the highest in the world,” the report said.

Treasury chief Sunak has committed to ending the widely unpopular tax on womens sanitary products, but the change could only take effect Friday Jan 1, 2021, after Britain had finally left the economic orbit of the EU. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth, FILE)LONDON – Britain on Friday became the latest country to abolish the so-called "tampon tax,” eliminating sales taxes on women's sanitary products. “Sanitary products are essential, so it’s right that we do not charge VAT,” said Sunak. They pointed to the abolition of the tampon tax as an early positive change from Brexit. Many other countries have also eliminated the tampon tax, including Australia, Canada and India.

State health officials said Tuesday that the variant was found in a man in his 20s who is in isolation southeast of Denver and has no travel history. Health officials have said the vaccines being given now are thought to be effective against the variant. — A former Louisiana state lawmaker and his wife died from COVID-19 on the same day. ___OKLAHOMA CITY — The Oklahoma City fire department says a firefighter, whose nephew became the first department employee to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, died of the virus after being infected while responding to a call. In the Upstate area of the state, COVID-19 infection rates continue to outpace every other part of South Carolina.

Asian stock markets rose Wednesday after President Donald Trump suggested he may veto a $900 billion economic aid package. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)Asian stock markets rose Wednesday after President Donald Trump suggested he may veto a $900 billion economic aid package. Overnight, Wall Street’s benchmark S&P 500 index lost 0.2% after Trump criticized the aid plan approved by Congress. The Shanghai Composite Index rose 0.8% to 3,382.08 and the Nikkei 225 in Tokyo added 0.1% to 26,470.94. Tech companies rose.

A man puts a US flag up in the town of Ballina, the ancestral home of President elect Joe Biden, in North West of Ireland, Saturday, Nov. 7, 2020. Joe Blewitt, a heating and plumbing engineer and a cousin of Biden’s, said the town of about 10,000 is ecstatic at the prospect of a President Joe Biden. Biden’s great-great-great-grandfather Edward Blewitt emigrated from the town, having worked as a brick-maker and as a civil engineer helping to map Ireland. Biden’s victory was especially sweet for Beryl McCrainey Slevin, a California native who has lived in Ballina for more than 15 years. Irish prime minister Micheal Martin was one of the first leaders to congratulate Biden on his victory, a clear sign of how much Biden’s victory means to the country.

Paul Cadden, owner of the Saba restaurant group poses for a photograph in his restaurant in Dublin, Ireland, Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2020. Paul Cadden will have to lay off 20 people, but will do whatever is necessary to get through lockdown. (AP Photo/Peter Morrison)DUBLIN – Ireland is already focused on Christmas. “Nobody wants to be closed, but for the greater good, you know,” Cadden told The Associated Press. “That makes me feel able to keep going.”Business owners seem to be almost willing the lockdown to work because they, like everyone in Ireland, need a break from the loneliness, suffering and death.

All remain in quarantine at a Christchurch hotel, and health officials say they expect more to test positive. — British PM Johnson imposing strict coronavirus restrictions on Greater Manchester, England’s second-largest urban area, after talks fail on financial support. Local health officials said Tuesday that the surge is overwhelming their ability to confront the pandemic. Officials say coronavirus cases related to the university represent 61% of the total in Washtenaw County, compared to just 2% in August. ___PHOENIX — Arizona reported more than 1,000 daily coronavirus cases for the second time in a week.

LONDON – Ryanair became the latest European airline to announce big reductions in its winter schedule after coronavirus-related travel restrictions were reimposed across the continent. Casting the blame on European governments for “mishandling” air travel during the pandemic, the Ireland-based budget airline said Thursday that it will cut around a third of its flight routes this winter. O'Leary said the cutbacks have been “forced upon us by government mismanagement" of European air travel. “We continue to actively manage our cost base to be prepared for the inevitable rebound and recovery of short-haul air travel in Europe once an effective COVID-19 vaccine is developed,” O'Leary said. Others airlines saw their stocks fall too, including British Airways' parent company, International Airlines Group, which was down 2.8%.

This would be very bad news for everyone, for the EU and even more so for the United Kingdom." Speaking after a meeting of EU ministers that he chaired, Roth added that “it's now up to the U.K. to make the decisive steps." He said U.K. negotiator David Frost would brief the prime minister before EU leaders meet about whether recent intensive talks have made a deal possible. Johnson says the EU must shift its position if it wants a deal, and insists the U.K. is quite prepared to walk away without one. France warned, that could cost the U.K. the unfettered access it wants to the huge and wealthy continental market.

(AP) – Ireland’s Supreme Court has ruled that bread sold by the fast food chain Subway contains so much sugar that it cannot be legally defined as bread. A panel of judges rejected the appeal Tuesday, ruling that the bread sold by Subway contains too much sugar to be categorized as a “staple food,” which is not taxed. The law makes a distinction between “bread as a staple food” and other baked goods “which are, or approach, confectionery or fancy baked goods,” the judgement said. Subway said it was reviewing the latest tax ruling. It added that the decision was based on an outdated bread exemption set by the Irish government that was updated in 2012.

HOUSTON – With Halloween around the corner, here is a snapshot of how Halloween arrived in Texas. West Texas' glowing lightsThere is a old tale of glowing lights in the sky in West Texas, according to KVUE. As history has it, people can view the light sighting late at night on US-90 between Alpine and Marfa. The house was built in 1893 for Civil War veteran George Littlefield and his wife Alice Littlefield, according to Curbed. The Victorian home is rumored to be haunted by the ghost of Alice, who roams the property and nearby dormitories.

The EU Commission “respectfully considers that in its judgment the General Court has made a number of errors of law. For this reason, the Commission is bringing this matter before the European Court of Justice," the bloc's highest court, Executive Vice President Margrethe Vestager said. The EU Commission had ordered Apple to pay for gross underpayment of tax on profits across the European bloc from 2003 to 2014. The commission said Apple used two shell companies in Ireland to report its Europe-wide profits at effective rates well under 1%. Apple said the case was never about how much tax it pays but where it's required to pay.

A man shows the contact tracing app Stayaway Covid on his cellphone, in Lisbon, Thursday, Sept. 17, 2020. Mobile apps tracing new COVID cases were touted as a key part of Europes plan to beat the coronavirus outbreak. (AP Photo/Armando Franca)LONDON – Mobile apps tracing new COVID-19 cases were touted as a key part of Europe’s plan to beat the coronavirus outbreak. Public trust in the government helps allay concerns about privacy and government surveillance first raised when some countries launched tracing apps months earlier. We might never know for sure, said Stephen Farrell, a computer scientist at Trinity College Dublin who has studied tracing apps.

BRUSSELS The European Unions executive commission is proposing its experienced Latvian vice president, Valdis Dombrovskis, to take over the post as trade chief of the bloc following the resignation of Ireland's Phil Hogan. EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen made the announcement as she named European Parliament heavyweight Mairead McGuinness as the new financial services commissioner to fill Ireland's seat at the table. Dombrovskis had already been holding the post temporarily since Hogan's resignation on Aug. 26. Dombrovskis now fills a vital post in dealing with the United States, China and post-Brexit Britain, with all three demanding near daily attention. It also means von der Leyen limited her reshuffle in the Commission and with McGuinness she further narrowed the gender gap in the Commission, which now stands at 14 men and 13 women.

Irelands prime minister has been forced to defend the future of his government as criticism mounted over a golf event attended by senior politicians despite a ban on large gatherings designed to slow the spread of COVID-19. (AP Photo/Peter Morrison, File)LONDON Irelands prime minister was forced to defend the future of his government Monday as criticism mounted over a golf event attended by senior politicians despite a ban on large gatherings designed to slow the spread of COVID-19. But he sought to focus attention on the Irish governments legislative record, not speculation that his coalition will collapse over the scandal. The scandal erupted last week amid reports that more than 80 people, including senior members of Martins party, Fianna Fael, attended a golf society dinner in Galway on Aug. 19. He said organizers and the hotel had assured him that it would be held in compliance with government guidelines.