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THE PAST 12 months will likely be remembered for the ongoing eurozone debt crisis, Middle East conflicts and Japan’s natural disasters and nuclear crisis.
However, the emergence of some more positive stories cast a shining light through the doom and gloom of 2011.
Weddings, animal rescues, unlikely comebacks and a cúpla focal had us all believing, “Is féidir linn”.
The year began with a rags-to-riches story in America…
Remember the man with the Golden Voice who was plucked from obscurity last January? Ted Williams was homeless and suffering with alcoholism and drug addiction but his deep voice – reminiscent of a Old-Time Radio commentator – made him an overnight online sensation after he was discovered.
Luckily, Williams did not fall victim to the 15-minutes-of-fame cliche and the turnaround in his life was not short-lived. In November, the New York native returned to television screens at New England Cable News after spending months in rehab.
Glimmers of hope…
Unfortunately, this year will be remembered for the multitude of natural disasters that devastated various countries around the world. In Japan, the official death toll from an earthquake and tsunami on 11 March has reached almost 16,000 while another 3,600 are still said to be missing. The event also triggered the world’s worst nuclear crisis since Chernobyl.
Any good news that emanated from the north-east during the aftermath of the catastrophe was especially welcomed. The rescue of an 80-year-old woman and a teenager, the loyal behaviour of people’s pets and this reunion between a dog and his owner were seen as symbols of renewed hope in the country’s darkest days.
The miraculous rescues of a 13-year-old boy and two-week-old baby after a powerful earthquake hit Turkey in October provided some relief for rescue teams working through the rubble.
(Uploaded by 3efyi)
What recession?
May offered us all a break from thinking about Ireland’s economic turmoil as the country’s famous “céad míle fáilte” was tested with State visits from Queen Elizabeth II and US President Barack Obama.
Both Heads of State spoke a cúpla focal much to the delight of the watching audiences during their trips. Obama’s rousing public speech at College Green prompted a wave of positivity not seen since the IMF arrived in November 2010.
Earlier in the day, he had gulped down a pint of Guinness, his jokes enthralling the audience in the pub, as well as those watching at home.
(Uploaded by RTÉ)
Although the Queen’s “a chairde” greeting was probably the most noteworthy part of her speech, her comment after the toast was what got us smiling:
(Footage from RTE, uploaded by liquidmarble)
Sticking to the royal theme, any review of this year’s good news stories would not be complete without a taster from the Wedding of the Century (so far) in England. Although the celebrations were not as boisterous here as across the pond, it was estimated that at least 1.3 million people in Ireland watched as Prince William wed Catherine Middleton on 29 April.
As Kate walks down the aisle, two heartwarming moments – Harry’s whisper to his older brother and William’s little joke to his new father-in-law – had us wishing we could lip read:
Animal rescue
Regular readers will know that we are all big fans of penguins at TheJournal.ie HQ. For those not familiar, check out our coverage of Happy Feet the Emperor penguin lost in New Zealand, our “It’s Friday” slideshow and this adorable Daily Fix video.
The flightless birds don’t always have the easiest time of it – Happy Feet’s fate was not quite, well, happy; this pair were separated at a zoo in Toronto and the New Zealand oil spill put many of them in danger.
However, many were rescued by animal lovers just in time:
New arrivals at Dublin Zoo are always exciting but the birth of Kituba, a baby boy gorilla, in March was particularly special as the zoo takes part in a European breeding programme for the endangered primates.
A polar bear cub overcame many obstacles, including malnutrition, after she was rescued from Alaska in April. The incredibly cute bear recovered and was thriving at a local zoo when this video was taken. Little Snowflake and Cutey Pie are just two of the nicknames used for her:
Unexpected comebacks…
US Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords was seriously injured after she was shot in the head during a gun attack in Arizona in January. The politician’s astonishing recovery may even see her seek reelection. In August, she returned to Congress for an important debt ceiling vote and was welcomed with a standing ovation:
Back in May, a 23-year-old American man stood independently for the first time since a road accident left him paralysed from the chest down in 2006. Rob Summers tells his incredible and emotional story to BBC, giving hope to others suffering from spinal cord injuries.
And finally…
This was a story that really got you, TheJournal.ie readers, talking. In July, a man jumped from O’Connell Bridge into the Liffey…to save his pet rabbit.
Watch what happened next:
See more of TheJournal.ie’s 2011 Review>
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Convenient they can blame the EU now
@Pj Browne: god forbid we follow laws and agreements.
I wouldn’t mind but it’s literally the government’s job to know how to pass laws and give enough notice to those affected. They’re getting away with doing it to renters, but it sounds like the people who have managed to afford a spare room are able to stand up for their agreed legal right to fair notice.
@Fiona Fitzgerald: sorry what do you mean they are getting away with it on renters ? If you mean not extending the temporary winter eviction ban I think you have that all messed up
Slightly confused about this article? What exactly is the delay? There has to be a reason for this but the article implies that it’s the EU who is for some unknown reason delaying the process. Clearer journalism would help
@Dave Phelan: It says they want to “engage with stakeholders”, which to me means they want to present the data from their analysis and need those at the top to prioritise it over other issues based on that data. The real question to me is why wasn’t this analysis done in the beginning when it was first proposed?
If you have bought a house, paid vat, paye, stamp duty etc, then the government should not be able to prevent you doing something lawful with it. Deflecting blame from their own failures
@Dave Harris: in fairness nobody is allowed do what they like once they buy something. It does seem unfair that somebody could suddenly find themselves living next door to an ever rotate number of strangers on holidays who often don’t respect locals. Think there is a place for short lets but it can’t go on as is.
@Dave Harris: lol lawful? The state decides what’s lawful. In this case lawful is changing it so that you have to have planning permission before turning your property in a domestic structure into a business. All the other people in the area/building bought based on it being a residence not being a hotel. And every other lawful accommodation business needs to register with bord fáilte and have the required standards and checks in place so why should these get away with it?
@Dave Harris: Laws change and rightly so as society evolves. Airbnb has had a huge impact on housing crises across Ireland and internationally. The government has failed on a number of fronts in relation to housing and regulating short-term rents is one thing they need to act on. We have tourists in home while homeless and refugees are in hotels.
@Emma Meehan: never sure on this “huge” impact in Ireland. Never saw any figures.
12,000 rental units – what a load of cobblers. As a former Airbnb host, I know that most rural hosts have a couple of rooms in their own house or a granny flat and they are definitely not viable accommodation long term. It’s probably different in the cities. But now the rules mean getting planning permission, registration fees, etc. So it’s an end to the farming community or elderly people getting the chance of a few quid in summer time and bringing much needed tourism to the regions. When something is not broken, why try to fix it? As the hosts I’ve been listening to are just getting out. Same as with small landlords, there’s too much hassle, beaurocracy and expense.
@Shelley Keary: As someone who uses Airbnb regularly for accommodation in rural parts of Ireland, I’d definitely agree that most places even those at the higher end in terms of standards are definitely not suitable for long-term renters. They are often in beautiful parts of the country and ideal for some quiet time away but located in very isolated areas, with limited access to services such as schools, medical centres etc, and only having a one shop village nearby that requires driving to. Flaky internet so not suitable for remote work etc, prone to dampness in winter, no childcare available & absolutely no transport options. A blanket approach to classifying all Airbnbs in the same way is ludicrous. The reality of available, suitable, properties is much less then the projections given.
@Shelley Keary: and taxes
Ireland, behind the curve as usual. https://www.nyc.gov/assets/buildings/pdf/MultipleDwellingLaw.pdf
@zephyrum: what has US laws got to do with Irish and EU laws?
The change of use planning rules which have not been announced for Short Term Rentals by the Housing Minister but form part of the proposed Tourism Register is the reason thousands of self catering tourist accommodation providers voiced their concerns to the EU via the TRIS submission process. Rural and coastal tourist accommodation is being put in the same boiling pot as urban short term let’s who are capitalising on higher rental rates and should be the target of the government but all offering these services will be put into the same net. This will have a significant impact on rural businesses that provide benefit to all local businesses whether food and bev, tourist attractions, etc. These rural businesses are already reeling from reduced numbers if accommodation in Summer 2022 due to 35 percent of accommodation contracted to the government for refugees.
Not sure why a Tourism Register is being linked to housing policy that hasn’t been announced? TRIS requires that such policies should be transparent. There was no indication either on what the registration annual cost would be, so I’m wondering why the Govt is surprised that this proposed legislation is at a standstill till Dec 23. Maybe Housing Dept should be looking at their shortcomings rather than trying to pin the homelessness problem on anyone and everyone but themselves.
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