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7 unforgettable times when Ireland came together to celebrate as one

G’wan Ireland.

THERE’S A LOT to be said for a big, typically Irish celebration.

Sure there’s nothing like the joy of a happy wedding, or the way people come together at a time like a christening or birthday. But country-wide celebrations – they’re a different thing altogether.

They’re more than just a little bit special.

1. Italia ’90

The summer that’s seared into almost every Irish person’s memory – the specific moment being when David O’Leary scored the penalty to beat Romania, bringing us to our first quarter final ever. You probably could have heard the roars from space.

JACK CHARLTON WITH THE IRISH TEAM DURING THE ITALIA 90 WORLD CUP IN IRELAND PEOPLE IRISH TRICOLOUR FLAGS Photocall Ireland Photocall Ireland

2. Obama in Moneygall

We’re known internationally for our hospitality – and we certainly displayed that back in 2011 when 5,000 people turned out in Moneygall to welcome Michelle and Barack Obama.

File photo: Obama Plaza opens in Moneygal, Co. Offaly /Photocall Ireland /Photocall Ireland

3. Eurovision

Let’s make no bones about it: we’re pretty damn good at the Eurovision. Not only have we historically knocked it out of the park with our entrants (certainly back in the day), but we also gave the gift of Riverdance to the world when we hosted it. No need to thank us, eh?

escbelgium4 / YouTube

4. The Grand Slam 2009

Our first Grand Slam since 1948 - with Jones missing that key last-minute kick.

A general view of the crowd Billy Stickland / INPHO Billy Stickland / INPHO / INPHO

5. The Pope’s visit

The year was 1979 and marked the first visit of a Pope to Ireland. It is estimated that 1,250,000 people attended the opening Mass in the Phoenix Park – and that’s a quarter of the population of the entire island of Ireland at the time.

IrishForeignMinistry / YouTube

6. Katie Taylor

Of course, the country is generally behind Katie as she consistently wins competitions around the world, but we really rallied behind her during the 2012 Summer Olympics. She walked away with the coveted gold medal.

Katie Taylor with her Olympic gold medal Dan Sheridan / INPHO Dan Sheridan / INPHO / INPHO

7. Once at the Oscars

We were all delighted when Outspan from The Commitments won the Oscar back in 2008 for Best Original Song, Falling Slowly featured in the movie Once. Altogether now: “Make art, make art, make art…”

Oscars / YouTube

As of this week, Three and O2 customers have a lot to celebrate too – because we’re all coming together. Three and O2 customers are now all under us at Three – and the new, single brand will enable the 1.5million new customers to call each other for free. The best bits of both service providers will now be available to all our customers. Find out more at three.ie.

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