So, to reflect. We are two decades into the third millennium. In terms of national and world events, which ones stand out for you? The ones where you know where you were when you heard? It is very difficult to pick five! but here goes:
September 11th- the twin towers
The Brexit vote
Marriage Equality Referendum (proud to be Irish that day)
The bank bailout (ashamed of the craven nature of our politicians)
Sinn Féin nearly winning the last election
Two that stick out alongside the ones you’ve mentioned are Trump winning in 2016 and the result of the repeal the 8th referendum (a day I was proud to be Irish).
March 12th when they announced the closing of the schools, Leo’s Patrick’s Day speech and the announcement that we would be going into lockdown. Hard to forget and nothing like we’d ever seen before.
Definitely more significant than SF almost winning an election…sorry @Iomaint
230k died in the St Stephen’s Day Tsunami of 2004, the same number roughly in the Haiti quake in 2010, Fukushima was the worst Nuclear event since Chernobyl…
should probably point out that I work in Reinsurance/Specialty Insurance game…not just totally morbid…i just tend to remember these Cat events
God, I had forgotten about that. I wonder do we subconsciously block some negative events out? For me, the numbers are too big, if you know what I mean? 5 people dying in a car crash…terrible. 25 dying in a bombing…unspeakable. 100,000 is beyond conception.
I was doing a psychology degree at the time and my college friends and I were nearly all heavy smokers. All of us were convinced that it wouldn’t last, or even take off.
But a psychoanalyst Dr, had no doubt that the ban would effortlessly and quickly work. She maintained that society unconsciously craves a “a severe but wise father” and that totem is often the government when the government is strong.
How we laughed - I mean, EVERYONE was against this stoopid-nannying-state-nonsense. There was no chance it would be taken seriously.
A few weeks later when I was almost frog marched out of the library in Lillies, by Valerie herself, for sneaking a smoke in the bathroom, I realised that the game was up.
I often think of that psychoanalyst and what she’d said and knew so far in advance of the ban.
9/11 and related events there after. I was in NYC when they invaded Afghanistan in 2002 and in 2003 I was in Texas and met a 17 year old who took 3 months of “training”, and was being sent to Kandahar with a machine gun! I hope that lad came home.
Becoming a dad.
Mother natures uncanny way of telling us we are fuckin the word we live in.
Irelands attitude to religious groups in Ireland, much to detriment of Catholic grip on Ireland, I certainly welcome it!
2005 vs Tyrone drawn game
2011 All Ireland Final
2013 All Ireland Semi Final
2014 Semi Final weekend - match in Limerick and our loss to Donegal
2019 Final replay
Hurling:
Kilkenny winning 06
Tipp 2010 final
Beating KK 2013
The 2 finals 2013
Limerick v Cork 2018
General Sport:
Istanbul 2005
Ireland v England rugby at Croke Park
Barcelona 2011 Champions League Final
Medinah Ryder Cup 2012
Usain Bolt breaking world record 100m