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Clockwise from top right: Cian O'Connor wearing a novelty t-shirt at a Cork count centre; Bambie Thug during Eurovision; Trump on election night; Varadkar after the Family and Care referendums defeat
Looking Back
Elections, Eurovision and Fine Gael departures: The most read articles on The Journal in 2024
A look at the top 20 stories on TheJournal.ie last year.
THE IRISH PUBLIC were fascinated by the local, European and general elections over the past year, if our view count is anything to go by.
The focus of the top five stories across 2024 is dominated by the elections held in Ireland, as well as the Family and Care referendums.
Also among our top ten stories was our coverage of Storm Isha in January, a tragedy at the Cliffs of Moher, and reaction to the scoping inquiry report into sexual abuse in schools run by religious orders.
Here’s a look at the top 20 most read stories on The Journal last year.
1. Who is my local councillor? Here’s a list of who’s been elected
- Views: 522,748
Close to 523,000 people checking to see which councillor had been elected in their local authority in the days following June’s local elections.
2. How each party fared and who got elected in every constituency
- Views: 344,457
A similar article, from the general election, took second place, with over 344,000 people clicking on the piece in the days after the 29 November vote.
3. Family and Care referendums defeated by huge margins
- Views: 279,967
More politics in the top three, this time a liveblog following the comprehensive defeat of the Family and Care referendums.
4. Late flurry of results means we’ve over 30 new TDs – but it’s going to be a long weekend
- Views: 242,215
The first day of counting was a slog, and by midnight, only 31 of the 174 TDs of the new Dáil had been elected. Like number 3, this article was also a liveblog.
5. Over 100 councillors elected (out of 949) on first day of counting
- Views: 233,889
Another election liveblog, something we’ll be seeing more of on this list. Come midnight on day one of the local election count, only 100 councillors had been elected and the EU election count was yet to come.
6. Storm Isha: Man dies in road crash and 170,000 premises without power
- Views: 232,679
Last January, Storm Isha hit Ireland and our coverage was led by the sad death of a male motorist in Mayo whose car left the road during difficult travelling conditions.
7. Over 70s to be allowed bring loved one or friend on public transport for free
- Views: 208,445
Perhaps a surprise inclusion in the top ten were plans for a “universal companion pass” to allow people over 70 to bring a loved one or friend on public transport free of charge.
8. Young woman dies after falling from Cliffs of Moher on sightseeing visit
- Views: 192,843
In May, there was a tragedy on the Cliffs of Moher in Co Clare when a young woman lost her footing and fell to her death.
9. Ryanair boss ‘regrets’ charging customers €500 for one-way ticket from London to Dublin
- Views: 190,481
On 20 December, Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary said he “regrets” the €500 charge passengers had to pay the airline for one-way tickets from London to Dublin.
10. The full list of schools and number of allegations against them in the sexual abuse scoping inquiry
- Views: 185,744
Rounding out the top ten was a database on The Journal which contained a list of the schools and the number of allegations and alleged abusers at each one.
This followed the scoping inquiry report into sexual abuse in schools run by religious orders, which identified 308 schools where alleged abuse took place.
11. Full recount ordered in Tipperary North and recount also requested in Cork North-Central
- Views: 180,882
Number 11 on our list is another election liveblog, this time as the counting at the general election started to wind down and recounts were being ordered due to some races coming down to the wire.
When we left the liveblog, a recount was looming in Tipperary North and Cork North Central, while no one was yet elected in Cavan-Monaghan despite two full days of counting.
12. Death confirmed of teenage girl after emergency services called to area near Dublin concert venue
- Views: 176,921
In March, a 16-year-old girl died near the 3Arena in Dublin. She had been taken to the Mater Misericordiae University Hospital, where she was later pronounced dead.
13. Poll: Are you happy with Ireland’s act for Eurovision 2024?
- Views: 171,448
The only poll to make it into the top 20 most read stories was one asking our readers if they were happy with Bambie Thug being chosen to represent Ireland at last year’s Eurovision.
Bambie Thug went on to finish in sixth place in a Song Contest filled with controversy.
14. Tributes paid to 11-year-old Clodagh Phelan who died on holiday in Majorca
- Views: 163,496
In July, 11-year-old Clodagh Phelan tragically died in Majorca, Spain after falling from a balcony at her hotel in Alcudia.
Taoiseach Simon Harris said he was saddened to hear of the “tragic loss”.
“So much promise and personality was snatched away in a terrible accident,” said Harris.
15. Woman arrested after body of six-year-old boy found in Co Waterford
- Views: 160,134
In February, a coastal community in Waterford was in “disbelief” following the discovery of the body of six-year-old Matthew Healy near a seaside cove.
Matthew’s body was found in a car at Dunmore East, Co Waterford shortly after midnight on 9 February, 2024.
16. Cyclist who gave gardaí footage of drivers’ misdeeds issued fine as it showed him running red light
- Views: 159,506
This article, published in September, revealed that a cyclist who gave helmet camera footage to gardaí of drivers using their phones and parking illegally was issued with a fixed penalty notice himself after the footage showed the cyclist cycling through a red light.
The cyclist asked the garda member if the other drivers that appear to be committing traffic offences in the same video would be prosecuted.
He alleged that they were advised to submit their questions in writing.
The cyclist did so, however they received no response or acknowledgement.
17. Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael top EU poll in Dublin as council results disappoint Sinn Féin
- Views: 157,361
Another election liveblog, but this time from the European elections in June. The big talking point at the time was the fact that a slide for Sinn Féin in opinion polls was borne out in the results.
18. Govt insists election not needed in wake of Varadkar resignation
- Views: 156,029
Not all of the most read liveblogs focused on elections; this one from March documented the immediate aftermath of the resignation of former Taoiseach Leo Varadkar.
In a statement announcing the shock move, Varadkar said that after seven years in office, “I am no longer the best person for that job”.
19. Donald Trump elected president of the United States for a second time
- Views: 155,130
Donald Trump will begin his second term as US president later this month.
The polling had it as a toss-up, but Trump went on to score a decisive victory over Kamala Harris.
The Republican Party also went on to take control of both the Senate and the House of Representatives.
20. Can’t keep up with the Fine Gael departures? Here’s a round up of who is standing down
- Views: 153,671
Former Taoiseach Leo Varadkar wasn’t the only high-profile Fine Gael figure to step away from politics last year.
Indeed, more than half of the party’s TDs announced that they would not be contesting the 2024 general election.
This included Heather Humphreys, Richard Bruton, Charlie Flanagan, Ciaran Cannon, Simon Coveney, Michael Ring, Damien English, and Josepha Madigan.
This article was updated throughout the year as the resignations came rolling in.
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