Kennedy's brain tumor diagnosis makes headlines in Ireland -- and around the world

The front of the Irish Independent.

By Matt Collette, Globe Correspondent

The story of Senator Edward M. Kennedy's diagnosis with a malignant brain tumor made news not just in the United States but around the world.

In Ireland, a country that has long felt a particularly deep bond with the storied Kennedy family, the visage of a weary Kennedy was splashed across the front page of the Irish Independent beneath the headline "Ted Kennedy fights for life with brain tumor."

Along with a news story, the paper offered an analysis by writer Sam Smyth discussing the powerful connection between the Kennedys and the Emerald Isle.

“Being a great and conspicuous friend of Ireland in the United States was as much a part of the Kennedy family tradition as playing ferociously competitive football. And Ted Kennedy took up the banner and was a great friend of this country through more than 30 years of civic strife," Smyth wrote.

"From 1969, every Irish government sought his guidance, help and support. And he was always there to give wise counsel and active support.”

The news of Kennedy's tumor also was reported in a small item on the front of the Irish Times, which directed readers to a story inside the paper saying that the Taoiseach, the Irish prime minister, had written to Kennedy wishing him well on behalf of the government.

News of Kennedy's illness also made the front page in such farflung newspapers as the El Nuevo Dia in San Juan, Puerto Rico; the Diario do Comercio in Sao Paulo, Brazil; and the Corriere Della Sera in Milan, Italy.

Myriad websites also carried stories, many of them already reporting the latest news -- Kennedy's release today from the hospital and sailboat ride.

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