THIS YEAR HAS been a tumultuous one for news.

From Paris to Berkeley, from Carrickmines to Tunisia, from the migrant crisis to the growth of Islamic State to the same-sex marriage referendum, 2015 was a year of upheaval across the world.

Here, in no particular order, are the most striking images from this year.

Note: be aware that some of these photographs contain graphic depictions of violence.

AP Pope Francis arrives for an audience with members of a diocese from southern Italy at the Vatican on 21 February. AP

US Army A US soldier salutes his fellow soldiers while jumping out of an aircraft over Germany on 24 February. US Army

Donall Farmer / INPHO Former Ireland manager Jack Charlton reacts as he receives a standing ovation from fans before the Ireland v England football match on 7 June. Donall Farmer / INPHO / INPHO

AP Photo / Manu Brabo Mourners gather around the coffin of 4-year-old Artiam, who was killed in a strike by the Ukrainian army in Donetsk, eastern Ukraine, in January. AP Photo / Manu Brabo / Manu Brabo

Boris Grdanoski / AP A migrant hides under a train heading to Serbia at the railway station in the Macedonian town of Gevgelija. Boris Grdanoski / AP / AP

John Walton / PA Wire/Press Association Images Copain de Classe takes a fall at the last fence during a race at Newbury racecourse on 27 November. John Walton / PA Wire/Press Association Images / PA Wire/Press Association Images

AP Photo / Peter Dejong A man carries two children after panic broke out among mourners who paid their respect at the attack sites at restaurant Le Petit Cambodge and the Carillon Hotel in Paris on 15 November. AP Photo / Peter Dejong / Peter Dejong

AP Photo / Vadim Ghirda A Ukrainian coal miner waits for a bus after exiting a mine where he had helped search for bodies of colleagues following an explosion in Donetsk, Ukraine, on 4 March. At least 23 miners died in the explosion. AP Photo / Vadim Ghirda / Vadim Ghirda

Niall Carson / PA Wire The funeral procession of Garda Tony Golden passes through Blackrock village for his state funeral on 15 October. Niall Carson / PA Wire / PA Wire

Jawhara FM via AP Bodies are covered on a Tunisian beach on 26 June after a man opened fired on sunbathers with a Kalashnikov, killing 38 people including three Irish people. Jawhara FM via AP

Irish Air Corps A member of the Irish Air Corps looks out over the flood plain south of Athlone on 8 December amid warnings about flood plains in the wake of Storm Desmond. Irish Air Corps

David Parry / PA Archive An animatronic polar bear is seen on the London Underground as part of an advertising campaign for Fortitude, a programme on Sky Atlantic. David Parry / PA Archive / PA Archive

AP Photo / Peter Morrison Riot police clear the streets in the Old Park area of Belfast on 9 August. Minor trouble broke out after an anti-internment rally was stopped by police. AP Photo / Peter Morrison / Peter Morrison

AP Turkish police officer Mehmet Ciplak carries the body of 3-year-old Aylan Kurdi away from the water. The Syrian toddler drowned along with his 5-year-old brother and his mother as they tried to reach the Turkish coast. AP

Sam Boal / RollingNews.ie A garda and a water charges protester outside Leinster House on 1 July. Sam Boal / RollingNews.ie / RollingNews.ie

AP Photo / John Locher Staff members hug as they are allowed to return to Umpqua Community College in Oregon in the US on 5 October, four days after a gunman shot and killed nine people there before taking his own life. AP Photo / John Locher / John Locher

AP Photo / Koji Ueda An Asian elephant swims in a swimming pool at a safari park at the foot of Mount Fuji on 13 July. AP Photo / Koji Ueda / Koji Ueda

Thibault Camus / AP/Press Association Images People gather to pay respects to the victims of the Charlie Hebdo attack in Paris. Thibault Camus / AP/Press Association Images / AP/Press Association Images

Brian Lawless / PA Archive Yes voters celebrate at the Central Count Centre in Dublin Castle on 23 May as Ireland votes overwhelmingly in favour of same-sex marriage. Brian Lawless / PA Archive / PA Archive

John Stillwell / PA Wire A commuter gestures to Mayor of London Boris Johnson as they cross paths on Vauxhall Bridge, London on 19 November. John Stillwell / PA Wire / PA Wire

AP Photo / Tinatin Kiguradze People help a hippopotamus that was shot with a tranquiliser dart after it escaped from a flooded zoo in Tbilisi, Georgia, on 14 June. AP Photo / Tinatin Kiguradze / Tinatin Kiguradze

Jerome Delay / AP/Press Association A suspected member of the ruling party in Burundi's youth militia pleads with soldiers to protect him from a mob of demonstrators on 7 May. Jerome Delay / AP/Press Association / AP/Press Association

Patrick Semansky / PA Joe Biden and his family commemorate the loss of Beau Biden, former attorney general of Delaware and son of the US Vice President, who died May 30 after suffering from Brain Cancer. He was 46. Patrick Semansky / PA / PA

AP Photo / Jair Cabrera The body of an unidentified man hangs from his waist under an overpass in Mexico City on 19 October. It is a common practice among gangs in other parts of the country, but the first time it had happened in Mexico City. AP Photo / Jair Cabrera / Jair Cabrera

Jonathan Brady / PA Archive/PA Images A model on the catwalk during the Agi & Sam show in London on 10 January. Jonathan Brady / PA Archive/PA Images / PA Archive/PA Images

Andrew Milligan / PA Wire A US Air Force Honour Guard rehearse for the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo on 7 August in Scotland. Andrew Milligan / PA Wire / PA Wire

Associated Press Ice from Lake Erie forms on a pedestrian walkway as the city of Cleveland is seen in the background on 8 January as temperatures plummeted in the US. Associated Press

Associated Press / Ng Han Guan Members of a Chinese honour guard shout as they march past during a welcome ceremony for German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Beijing on 29 October. Associated Press / Ng Han Guan / Ng Han Guan

Owen Humphreys / PA Archive/PA Images Deer move through the snow at Raby Castle in Durham, England, on 21 January. Owen Humphreys / PA Archive/PA Images / PA Archive/PA Images

AP Photo / Alessandra Tarantino Nuns pray during a canonisation ceremony in St Peter's Square at the Vatican on 18 October. AP Photo / Alessandra Tarantino / Alessandra Tarantino

AP Photo / Vadim Ghirda A small dog looks out from a car at a Ukrainian army checkpoint near Kurakhove on 3 March. AP Photo / Vadim Ghirda / Vadim Ghirda

Nick Potts / PA Wire/Press Association Images Robbie Brady celebrates after scoring Ireland's first goal in the fog-filled Euro 2016 qualifier against Bosnia and Herzegovina on 13 November Nick Potts / PA Wire/Press Association Images / PA Wire/Press Association Images

Additional reporting by Ali Watson 

Read: The 33 best photographs of 2014 >

Read: Our favourite photographs from 2013 > 

Making a difference

A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation.

For the price of one cup of coffee each week you can make sure we can keep reliable, meaningful news open to everyone regardless of their ability to pay.

Support us Learn More