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IRELAND: SHE HAS her moments, but sometimes things happen that really make her shine.
2013 had its ups and downs, but there were plenty of times that restored our faith in this small isle, just when things were getting a bit rough.
Here’s some of our favourite moments.
The hot summer weather that took us all by surprise
We were very surprised.
(Pic: Imgur)
But we LOVED it.
(Yes, that's Ireland)
We really, really loved it.
Looking at the late Donal Walsh's incredible legacy
The young teen sadly was fighting cancer, but selflessly did lots of work to try and curb the rate of teen suicide.
(HSE Ireland/YouTube)
When a family rescued 30 sharks on a beach
Yes, sharks.
(jeffgartland1/YouTube)
... And this dog was rescued after falling down a cliff in Dublin.
(His name was Luca)
When 40 neighbours stopped three men burgling the home of an elderly man
They put them under citizen's arrest.
Pic: Google Street View
When Ireland's women's rugby team won the Grand Slam
Legends.
Video: RTÉ
When this man dressed as Commander Hadfield for the Dublin City Marathon
The astronaut even sent him a thank-you message.
HMV reopened after we thought we'd never get it back
Goodbye, HMV Grafton St. Pic: Niall Carson/PA Wire
We thought it was gone forever. We were wrong.
The hurler who was told he'd never play again - but did
Good man, Conor Phelan.
(nemetonSPORT/YouTube)
When Superquinn assured us their sausages were not going to disappear
Nothing is going to change. NOTHING.
When someone got back at a sexist 'UCC birds' Facebook page by setting one up about actual birds
And no one got into a flap about it.
Roy Keane and Martin O'Neill teamed up, and everyone was happy!
All credit to the bad cop and bad bad cop.
Video: GodTVOfficialChannel/YouTube
When an engagement ring was found after being lost in Lidl
Good Samaritans rule.
The film director who wouldn't let Motor Neuron Disease stop him
Simon Fitzmaurice is determined to make his first feature film, My Name is Emily, and his family are there every step of the way.
When this autism assistance dog was found after going missing for 24 hours.
The Ennis dog warden even stayed up overnight to look for Darcy the dog.
Pic: Autism Assistance Dogs Ireland
Emotional homecomings
Is someone chopping onions over there? No one does reunions like us.
(DailyEdge.ie/YouTube)
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I saw a piece a few weeks ago, it was a 60 minutes Australia show on Chernoble. So there the presenter was talking about the levels of radiation and even in the control room etc. They then went to an orphanage where kids with birth defects were, and there they were a bunch of Irish builders on their own time at their own expense building a better facility for the kids. The presenter was nearly in tears, he said to one of the lads, “I didn’t think fellas like you existed any more?”… and the Irish fella said “sure theres loads of us here” and he went off back to work.
It makes me proud that this country can produce people like that.
Beautiful
Seriously, what knob would red thumb that comment. Unbelievable.
Sorry that was me – I’ve had a few and I’ve big fingers *hick*
The Irish, sure aren’t we a great bunch of lads!!! Thanks Ronan, I’d love to see that show if you have a link. We are a great people, sure people give out that we didn’t riot and give all hell over austerity but I think we’re better than that. Riots cause victims, the shop owner who’s windows get destroyed, the business out of pocket cos they had to close to carry out expensive repairs. I’d like to think we are better than that. Rioting would have gotten us no where. We have built something now that we can hopefully grow from. It’s still a bloody awful situation that we are in and some people are suffering badly but rioting would have solved nothing. It may have even made things worse for people who could have lost their jobs as a result. Perhaps for 2014 we can ditch the sheeple bolli*ks and just admit that we are actually in this together, for the long haul. We may hate each other’s politics, we may despise each other’s party but as a nation we are in this together and we will see this through. We will see this country back to greatness and welcome home those who have had to travel abroad. This country is great. Not was great or can be great. It and us just bloody ate. Get used to it and get behind it or just f*ck off!
@ Barry
http://sixtyminutes.ninemsn.com.au/stories/richardcarleton/259381/inside-chernobyl
If you’re in a hurry, skip to 11.00mins to the Irish Volunteers.
Thanks for that. How brave of that reporter. Scary place.
Thanks for that link
When Bertie ahern went to prison, oh wait.
That’s terrible, Bertie was a good man
The crutch should have received a posthumous award.
Do you mean, the crotch?
And now for something different .. why so many green thumbs for Tom Feehan’s statement?
Some nice pieces there,good to see the neighbours help an elderly person,and what a summer we had,
Don’t forget the old man who saved his pension money to donate food to dog shelter and Lidl treating him for Christmas! That was nice story :-)
I heart Ireland
If we had à summer like 2013 every year, and ousted all the violence, we would have à great new year ever year. Love each other.
For me it was the Donal Cusack blog. Powerful stuff. http://ccusack111.blogspot.ie/2013/10/depression-is-friend-not-my-enemy_28.html?m=1
The Domhnall moment on the Late Late
you know for all the crap we have to deal with there are some amazing people and moments out there. It’s good to be reminded of it sometimes. Thanks for posting.
Donal Walsh should have this article all to himself.
Legend of a young lad & his ilk is needed more and more in our society
The Weather, had to be?
The New Year would have been great if there was a change of government.
My partner volunteered in Chernobyl a few years back, he said it was both the hardest and most rewarding thing he has ever done!
Ah that old chestnut ” a change of government ”
Irish governments are like two pairs of underpants
You select one and put up with them until they need changing
Then you select the second pair and put up with them until the first and still unwashed pair start to look like a more acceptable alternative
Thanks for the link John Buckley. Scary stuff but great to see the boys doing their thing. Great work!!!
OMG, as they say.
Why red thumbs not that it bothers me? Surely the majority of Irish people would accept a change of government because of the way we have been robbed with unfair taxes, bullied and intimidated.
Dont remember any of them but if you say so thaths ok:)
The comments on this article only show sadly that some people are so fixed in their negativity that they cannot allow themselves a little moment of happiness and choose instead to make negative comments about items not even mentioned in the article. We wonder why people call us a nation of begrudgers?
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