As we reach the closing stages of 2024, with many people looking forward to a Christmas break, some of writers have taken a look back at the year that was.
In Irish politics, it was a case of referendums, a surprising resignation and repeat elections culminating in a year of drama and political shocks, writes Jennifer Bray. The family and care referendums were soundly rejected, Leo Varadkar unexpectedly stepped down, and there was a decided turnaround in parties’ fortunes. Sinn Féin took a battering in the local elections while come November the Greens were left with just one person standing after a general election campaign which left many voters cold. With Mary Lou McDonald stumbling over policy questions, and Simon Harris trying to overcome campaign missteps, it was Micheál Martin that emerged as something of an experienced steady hand.
The US election was one of the big talking points of the year and was more than eventful. Keith Duggan looks back at the lead-up to November 5th and its aftermath, here. He recounts in detail Trump’s dark, brooding form on his winter campaign in the Midwest; Joe Biden’s disastrous TV debate against him later that year which led to him dropping out of the race and being replaced on the Democratic ticket by his vice-president Kamala Harris; the assassination attempt on Trump; the election itself; all the way through to the moment on November 13th when the two ageing men, who have become the figureheads of the unbreachable divide among Americans, sat side by side in the White House, for the first steps in the transition of power.
This year was once again marked by war and conflict in many parts of the world - Ukraine and the war in Gaza the two foremost in Irish audience’s minds. While Ukraine is still standing after more than 1,000 days of full-scale fighting with Russia, in the biggest war in Europe since 1945, the fall of Avdiivka marked the start of its year of slow retreat in the east. That fall also highlighted the scale of the Ukrainian military’s personnel problem with soldiers weary, desertion rates increasing and the number and quality of new recruits not been sufficient to address the manpower problem. Here, Daniel McLaughlin takes a closer look at the key events that shaped 2024 in the country and will influence the conflict next year.
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As the war in Gaza rages on with thousands of Palenestians dead, and a now a type of diplomatic war between Ireland and Israel over the closure of its Dublin embassy, Mark O’Connell writes that the “mystery is not why we Irish have responded as we have to Israel’s barbarism . . . The mystery is why the strength of that response is unmatched, with the exception of Spain and Norway, by our fellow European countries . . . That our country – its people, and its political establishment – is making its voice heard above the deafening silence of most other western nations is something of which we can, for now, be proud.”
The housing crisis continued to be a major issue this year and this week spelled more bad news for potential housebuyers, particularly those in the capital where the average price of a home is now over €600,000, according to the Central Statistics Office. Author Jamie O’Connell, writing as an “elder millennial”, says he worries for Ireland. “When property prices reach such levels that the standard garda and teacher cannot afford a reasonable home, we’ll end up with generation of workers who won’t invest in Irish society. Why bother? I feel this sentiment from those younger than I. They have no path to wealth that doesn’t include some form of inheritance because the way the average person generates wealth for themselves has always been at its core home ownership . . . I fear our property problem will be solved in a brutal way, with a recession so severe, hundreds of thousands will emigrate again.”
And finally, For those of you tasked with Christmas dinner this year, we have a slew of recipes, tips and guides on how to cook everything from turkey to Brussels sprouts. We’ve put it all together for you here, using our archive of recipes compiled by food columnists over the years. For everything else Christmas related, from last minute gift buying to what to drink, read or watch over the festive period, we’ve got you covered with a wide array of articles on all things festive, here.
We wish you a very happy and peaceful Christmas.
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