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2015, a turbulent one to say the least. She had her fair share of us, swallowed us up into the realm of hate and violence; not to mention the whole Syria issue which will no doubt carry itself forward into the new year. But we must not dwell on the trials of sorrow, but look at the lights than shun in the darkness that was 2015.

January

At approximately 11.30am on January 7th, three masked men pulled up outside the office of the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo. The assailants, who would later be identified as French-Algerian brothers Said (34) and Cherif (32) Kouachi and the brother-in-law (18) of Cherif. Following a three-day nation-wide manhunt, the Kouachi Brothers were killed during a raid by French police. With 17 people killed, a Yemeni Al-Qaeda group took little time to claim responsibility.

As a historic moment in Irish political history, health minister and Fine Gael TD Leo Varadker revealed on his homosexuality live on RTE Radio 1 during an interview with Miriam O’Callaghan, on January 18^th – his 36^th Birthday. The announcement received national (and international) praise, and was considered a positive move ahead of the upcoming marriage equality referendum.

Meanwhile, in Greece, left-wing party SYRIZA win the general election. With plans to renegotiate the country’s burdening debt, party leader Alexis Tsipras replaces Prime Minister Alexis Samaras on January 26^th.

February

On February 4^th, the iconic ferry boat route from Dun Laoghaire harbour (IRE) to Hollyhead (UK) embarked on its final voyage, after 204 years of service. The Irish stage of the journey was moved to Dublin Port.

Irish Socialist Party TD Paul Murphy is arrested on February 9^th in connection with a protest led by his party the previous November. Deputy Murphy described the arrest as an attempt to “damage the anti water charge movement, and accused the Fine Gael & Labour Party coalition of political policing. The Dublin South-West TD was later released without charge.

 

March

Lucinda Creighton TD and fellow former Fine Gael politicians form a new Irish political party, Renua Ireland on March 13^th. Presenting themselves as a centred group, the new formed party receives criticism from opposition camps.

Germanwings flight 9525 crashed in French Alps on its way to Düsseldorf, Germany, on March 25^th. It was later revealed that the aircraft was deliberately brought down by the pilot, Andreas Lubitz, who had been known for experiencing suicidal tendencies. All 144 passengers and 6 crew members were killed.

 

 

 

April

The country of Nepal is devastated by a 7.9 magnitude earthquake on April 25^th. The tremors triggered several avalanches on mountains including that of Everest, along with weeks of crippling aftershocks. Approximately 9,000 people were killed during the turmoil, with around 23,000 injured.

 

May

A new round-Ireland sailing record was set on May 6^th by an Omani trimaran led by French sailor Sidney Gavignet. The team completed the circumnavigation in 40 hours 51 minutes and 57 seconds, reaching reported speeds of 38 knots off the west coast.

In the United Kingdom, the 56^th Parliamentary elections were held on May 7^th. Despite build up election polls predicting a tight gap between the Conservative Party (led by current PM David Cameron) and opposition Labour Party (led by Ed Miliband), the results showed an increase in votes for the Conservative party, giving them a majority government.

Ursula Halligan, broadcaster and political editor of TV3, publicly declared her homosexuality and her support for a ‘yes’ vote in the upcoming Constitutional marriage equality referendum. On May 15^th TV3 was obliged to remove her from broadcast coverage of the referendum for the sake of visible journalistic objectivity.

Prince Charles and his wife Camilla visited the west of Ireland on May 19^th, including Mullaghmore, County Sligo, where his great-uncle Lord Mountbatten was killed by the IRA in 1979. The visit received criticism from minority groups, but was praised unanimously.

Marked as one of Ireland’s most progressive political achievements, the 34^th Constitutional amendment referendum was held on May 22^nd. The vote which would allow the legal marriage of same-sex couples in Ireland prevailed, with the closing ‘yes’ result of 62%.

June

On June 26^th, an Islamic State inspired attack occurred at the popular European tourist resort ‘Port El Kantaoui’, just outside the city of Sousse in Tunisia. A gunman, who landed on the beach via a jet ski, opened fire on holiday goers. A total of 39 people were killed, including the gunman.

 

July

Back in Greece, SYRIZA hold a national election on July 4^th on whether or not to accept a bailout package from Europe and the International Monetary Fund. The referendum resulted in a ‘No’ vote, putting the country under even more pressure from money lenders.

Following the preliminary agreement earlier in the year, Iran and 6 other nations (including Russia and America) finalise a deal on July 12^th which would hope to reduce the manufacturing and stockpiling of nuclear weapons.

Irish traditional celebration ‘Reek Sunday’ is cancelled on July 26^th due to extreme weather warnings. Despite strong discouragement from authorities, many advocates ignored the dangers and proceeded to climb Crough Patrick. Some of which even brought their infant children, forcing rescue workers to put themselves in danger in order to rescue them.

 

August

August 30^th was seen as the beginning of the Syrian Refugee Crisis. The prolonged event saw hundreds of thousands of refugees fleeing into Turkey and other south-east European states from a war torn Syria. Tension between European states would continue to rise over what measures to take to tackle the humanitarian crisis.

 

September

German car manufacturer Volkswagen came under fire on September 18^th after it emerged that the motor giant had installed software (making them appear to pass emission tests) into approximately 11 million cars worldwide. Volkswagen was subsequently ordered to recall over 2.4 million cars by German authorities.

Approximately 2,300 people are killed during a stampede at the annual Hajj pilgrimage in Mecca, Saudi Arabia on September 24^th. Although external media reported casualties between 2,000 and 2,500, local authorities claimed there were only 769 deaths.

Arguably the greatest scientific achievement since the moon landings, NASA announce on September 25^th the discovery of water on Mars, made up almost entirely of ice.

 

October

The beginning of October saw the intervention of Russian forces in the Syrian civil war. After refusing to follow guideline set out by UN nations around the conflict, Russian President Vladimir Putin was criticised for allying with Syrian dictator Bashar Al-Assad.

On October 30^th, Metrojet flight 9268 loses contact over the Sinai desert during its flight from Egypt to Russia. Shortly following the discovery of the plane’s destroyed remains, Syrian terror group Islamic State release a video claiming responsibility for the downing of flight 9268. After investigations by local and Russian authorities, it became clear that the aircraft disintegrated mid-air. Russia continued a campaign of finger pointing, however the cause was never determined.

November

On the evening of November 13^th, Paris suffers one of the most infamous terror attacks in European history. With only 11 months gone since the Charlie Hebdo assault, civilians were butchered by Islamic State militants. Targeting restaurant districts, the Stade-de-France and the Bataclan theatre, three ‘strike’ groups conducted a shooting rampage throughout the city. Following a continental manhunt, the majority of those involved in orchestrating the attack were located and arrested in Belgium. Others, some of which were believed to have exploited the refugee crisis and entered Europe in disguise, fled across the continent and back to Syria. In an act of retaliation, President Hollande declared ‘pitiless’ War on the Islamic State.

December

A series of Atlantic storms (nicknamed Desmond, Eva and Frank) cause devastation to Western and Mid-West counties of Ireland. Many homes and towns are left flooded, leaving families stranded for Christmas.

 

2016

…enter, You.