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IN A YEAR of revelations and resignations, here’s a rundown of the political year: in photos.
Enda in the UAE
Taoiseach Enda Kenny kicked off the year with a trade mission to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates in early January. The mission was said to be worth €65 million, but Kenny and Jobs Minister Richard Bruton were criticised for not discussing human rights issues in the region during the trip.
New Child and Family Agency
The new Child and Family Agency, Tusla, was launched by the then Children’s Minister Frances Fitzgerald and the Taoiseach on 30 January.
Merkel stops by
German Chancellor Angela Merkel paid a visit to our shores in March for the European People’s Party congress. She also took in the sights and sounds of Trinity College, and shared a joke or two with the Taoiseach.
State Visit
President Michael D Higgin’s historic visit to the United Kingdom received a lot of coverage in April. It was the first-ever state visit by an Irish president to the UK. Needless to say, there were plenty of photo ops with the Queen, the obligatory men in tall hats and … an Irish Wolfhound.
Shatter resigns
On 7 May, the Taoiseach told the Dáil that Justice Minister Alan Shatter would be resigning on foot of the publication of the Guerin Report into Garda whistleblowers. Many criticised how allegations made by Maurice McCabe and John Wilson were handled by Shatter’s department.
Garda Commissioner Martin Callinan, who called the whistleblowers’ actions “disgusting”, resigned in March. Shatter later went on to challenge the Report’s findings.
Election fever
Election fever gripped the country in the run up to 23 May, when votes were cast throughout the country in the local and European elections. Sinn Féin and Independents were the big winners. A full list of those elected is available here.
Fine Gael’s Gabrielle McFadden was elected in the Longford/Westmeath by-election held on the same day, while Socialist TD Ruth Coppinger came out on top in the Dublin-West by-election.
Labour pains
It was a disastrous election for Labour, leading to Tánaiste and party leader Eamon Gilmore stepping down. His successor, Social Protection Minister Joan Burton, took over the reins on 4 July – making her the first woman to hold the role. Alan Kelly replaced her as deputy leader.
Everyday I’m shufflin’
One of the first jobs Burton had to work on with Enda Kenny was a Cabinet reshuffle. Leo Varadkar received the “poison chalice” of Health, Pat Rabbitte was dropped and Ruairí Quinn jumped before he was pushed.
Albert Reynolds laid to rest
The former Fianna Fáil Taoiseach was laid to rest on 25 August. He passed away at the age of 81, after a battle with Alzheimers.
By-elections
In October, Luke ‘Ming’ Flanagan-backed candidate Michael Fitzmaurice was successful in the Roscommon-South Leitrim by-election, while the Anti-Austerity Alliance’s Paul Murphy was elected in Dublin-South West.
Maíria Cahill allegations
The Taoiseach met with Maíria Cahill on 22 October. She claims to have been raped by a senior member of the IRA when she was a teenager before being forced to face him at a ‘kangaroo court’ in Belfast.
The following month, there was a heated debate in the Dáil during which Enda Kenny accused Sinn Féin and the IRA of moving abusers to the South. Gerry Adams said he believed Cahill’s claims but denied his party had been involved in a cover-up.
Abortion pill train
Pro-choice campaigners, including Anti-Austerity Alliance TD Ruth Coppinger, got a train from Dublin to Belfast on 28 October. Their aim? To buy packs of abortion pills not available in the Republic.
Upon their return to the capital, several of the women swallowed the tablets.
Water charges
There was a series of anti-water charge protests towards the end of the year, including the below one in Dublin on 1 November . Estimates put the crowd at more than 100,000 people nationally.
Tánaiste Joan Burton was trapped in her car for almost three hours by protesters while attending a graduation ceremony in Jobstown in Tallaght on 15 November. She made a statement to gardaí about the incident. Socialist TD Paul Murphy, who was at the protest, denied it became out of hand.
Winners and losers of the political year
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