Where were you on September 11th 2001?

CorsetIsTight

That was the day I came home from hospital with my new-born daughter. I walked into the sitting room with my baby in my arms and the phone was ringing. It was my mother-in-law and she just told me to turn on the television.

I wasn't really listening to her and started talking about my wonderful baby, and she just told me again to turn on the television because a plane had hit the WTC.

I hung up and did as I was told and saw the second plane hitting - it took me a few minutes to realise that it wasn't just a replay of the first one.

I sat down on the edge of the coffee table and watched in horror as the events unfolded. My memories of the images have a weird overlay of the memory of the mixture of smells - the congratulatory flowers in the room, the smell of the hospital from the blanket around my daughter, and most of all that newborn baby smell.

I couldn't put my baby down, just kept clutching her to me, almost breathing her into me, convincing myself that the world hadn't completely gone to hell.

Nead21

I was 20 at the time and heading into my third year in college. I was totally shocked when watching it on RTE. Started crying when the NY correspondent was describing how people were jumping out the towers...i'll never forget the sheer panic in their voice

WobyTide

I was hauling ass as fast as possible to Tora Bora.

brian1991

First of all, I'd like to thank the OP for starting this thread. There was a similar thread last year, which I have also read in its entirety and can be found here: http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055675490

The first plane hit the North Tower of the World Trade Center at 13:46 GMT, so I was still at school. I had just started fourth class and thought I was pretty grown up, little did I know. At 14:03 Irish time the second plane hit the South Tower. At 14:59 GMT the South Tower collapsed (and it wouldn't be long until the North Tower followed suit at 15:28). This brings us to three o' clock, when school ended for me back then. Now as far as I know I didn't hear anything about what was happening in the US until I got home and turned on the television in our living room, probably looking for Den 2, but ending up with RTÉ News; perhaps Network 2 was showing the news as well as RTÉ One that day. My memories of that day are unclear at best. Apparently, I was the one who alerted my family to what was happening. My sister recently told me that on that day I was ''freaking out'' though I have no recollection of being like this. I was familiar with the Twin Towers as I would see them in almost every episode of Friends, and I would hear of the Pentagon and see it on tv occasionally too.
Just before One World Trade Center collapsed (or perhaps just before) my mother told us to join hands. We kneeled down in the living room and she said to pray for ''those poor people in New York''. I remember hearing on the news about the plane that crashed in Pennsylvania. As a nine year old, I did not come close to realizing the implications of what had happened. Details were unclear at times too; I recall hearing on the news at different times that there were six people confirmed dead, and at one point this unconfirmed death toll skyrocketed to thirty-thousand and above. In the end, just under three thousand people died that day and over six thousand were injured. I remember our teacher discussing it at school the next day in detail, and discussing it with friends there too. That Friday I remember going to a memorial Mass at a local church and having to sit or stand at the very back as it was so crowded.
Some other images that stick in my mind from that day are the people who fell to their deaths, the smoke billowing from the North Tower and the smoke/ash/debris cloud filling the streets of Lower Manhattan so quickly.
My father was at work at the time and thought it was a movie at first when he saw the news. I remember how my brother still did homework that day (he had just started secondary school), and how the news was repeated on RTÉ over and over again, with no regular programming broadcast, apart from the Six One news etc of course.

Below is RTÉ's coverage of 9/11 (if anyone has any other footage of Irish tv coverage, please post it here or PM me). In the YouTube comments section, many people said they remembered Brian Dobson being close to tears that day, and who could blame him?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4cQPU_9C6B4

The finest 9/11 documentary that I have seen is 102 Minutes That Changed America, which you can see part one of below also:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hnZWBmX41tw

Finally, if you want to read more stories, and add your story, go to http://www.wherewereyouon911.com/main.asp

May we never forget what happened that day.

Vanbis

orourkeda wrote: »

The lack of fanny (or shaft) on the debs night is the real tragedy here.

I laughed...

I was young and working in a well know Supermarket chain. I'll always remember it been so quiet that afternoon.

markesmith

Amsterdam, at the start of an inter-railing holiday.

Didn't find out about what happened until the 13th.

Was in Florence, and saw a "sandwich board" advertising a new headline which said "Apocallisa in America" (sp?).

Thought it was a new Will Smith movie or something, though I had an idea something was up. People were very subdued on the train journey, saw a few people crying.

Shivers26

I was in town with my friend shopping for a handbag for the debs. I remember we both got loads of texts from people telling us it had happened. We ended up standing in the Usit offices on the quays watching Sky News on their tv's

susita06

i was on flight from salou to shannon when the first plane hit and in shannon airport when the second one happened!!!! it was crazy people running around the airport looking for phone etc

Killer Pigeon

I was only in 5th class in primary school. I remember coming home from school, walked in the front door and my mam goes, "A second plane hit, a second plane just hit, oh my god, oooohhh my goood". I thought she had gone mad or something. I looked at the TV and thought it was some sort of movie or something.

In the evening, my Dad rang up his cousin who lives on long island and commutes to work in New York. Lucky she was grand and didn't actually work in that part of the city.

Skinfull

In galway, in smyths, buying top trumps for my nephews birthday when I heard. Went back to the hotel, into the lobby bar for pints and major Sky news intake!

Saw the 2nd plane hit and it was astounding!

miss no stars

In school. Teachers kept schtum.

Then I got onto the bus and heard a frantic american voice on the radio (was sitting right behind the driver) saying something about "And then I saw a plume of smoke coming out of the building and I new it was bad"

My first reaction was "Bloody Americans have to over dramatise everything PSHAW" then I kinda thought "Hmm.... Plume of smoke out of a building and it's on our news...??"

Then I got home and saw the telly and went "Oh. Ok."

brian1991

Bump.

Celly Smunt

on a plane to toronto,didn't find out until i landed,scary time to land in an airport

onlyrocknroll

Well, I don't have an alibi or anything, if that's what you're getting at/ :eek:

Decuc500

pmcmahon wrote: »

on a plane to toronto,didn't find out until i landed,scary time to land in an airport

I was in Toronto watching a very early movie at the Toronto film festival. The film started at 9:00 am! When it was over we got the subway out to our hotel. It was packed with everyone leaving the city. Toronto basically shut down for a few days.

billymitchell

Berlin Zoo looking for the penguins!! Couldnt find the fookers

BUBBLES1978

upstairs in my mothers house heavily pregnant, watching the tele, her sitting room floors were being varnished so the smell was making me feel sick, heard the lad doing the floors let a "jesus ****ing christ" out of him so waddled down stairs to see it all unfold on the tele

unreal.........!!!

brian1991

There are a few documentaries about 9/11 on tonight:

Hotel 9/11 starts at 8 o' clock on the History Channel
102 Minutes that Changed America starts at 9 o' clock on the same channel, and then it's
9/11 in Memoriam at 23:15, also on the History Channel

More 4 are showing a few documentaries tonight as well.

Asphyxia

I was also in school, didn't know anything about it till I came home... I remember my father being on the phone to my cousins over there and finding out two of relations died, they were firefighters and after going in to one of the towers it suddenly collapsed on top of them. Three of my other cousins were with the New York Police Department and they were there securing the area well trying to anyway there was so much chaos and the ash falling was so ridiculous they couldn't see anything.

I distinctly remember them telling me when they visited a couple of years later that they couldn't go too near the building in case the people jumping from the towers crushed them. Such a horrible day

pebbles21

Was living in Ballymun at the time,someone told me that two planes crashed into the Towers

I said I didn't give a $hite, cos i drank in in the Penthouse.

D-K

Came home from primary school, walked in the door and it was on sky news! When the second plane hit i thought it was just a replay of the first plane!

Wood

Was working in BodyShock at the time had just finished piercing someone and a lad came running rdown the stairs shouted "America is after blowing up".

Went across to the music centre and watched it there for a few minutes

Elbow

Was in 4th year in school - In a double english from what i can remember

thomas353

i was with my ex girlfriend, the blood runs deep

Agent Smith

kumate_champ07 wrote: »

Where were you on August 15th 1998?

Coming back from Scout camp in Cong, Mayo

Run_to_da_hills

My ex told me at work, I thought it was only a small plane like a Cesena, when she explained first , then she mentioned something about a 757. I dropped, then she phoned me a half an hour later telling me that another one hit the towers. I took the rest of the afternoon off to watch developments..

JOCookie

Coming home from Galway on the Bus listening to the news on the radio.

thomas353

thomas353 wrote: »

i was with my ex girlfriend, the blood runs deep

the blood runs deep because she is now my ex, nowt to do with 9/11

Red Hand

Painting the doors in my mother's house.

pablomakaveli

I was in school. I think the first plane struck during my history class in which we were learning about Christopher Columbus.

piby

In second year of secondary school. Was in maths class when I first heard rumours of what had happened but didn't find out full story until I got home and turned on Sky News.

Saila

bluewolf wrote: »

I can just about remember, but why would anyone care? Does anyone care where I was on the 10th of September?

it was a day which more or less changed the modern world or reshaped it. there have been 2 and getting on for a turd wars based on the events of that day. It was an absolutely shocking day which most who are old enough [and blessed with empathy] will remember clear as day.

I was at home watching TV and my mam came in and told me about it, cue glued to sky news in horror for the next 1hr 30
and my brother had just got out of a mental hospital after a short stay after a breakdown, it was really tough on him.

thomas353

<snip>
Mod note: In future outbursts like this will be met with a ban.

ConmanTheKiller

I was in 5th class at the time. For some reason we had a half-day and my dad was collecting me. On the way home I heard about the first plane on the radio. I got home about 10 minutes before the second hit, so I saw it live on television.

My aunt was over in New York at the time and I remember my Mam being worried until she finally got through to her 5 hours later.

Micky Dolenz

tomas please turn off the caps.

thomas353

sorry about my caps:)

AckwelFoley

i was just going back to work after lunch, i was standing in Flynns of Moate hardware at the time of the first reports and i went into the Auld Sheebeen next door to look at the tv

Carl Sagan

thomas353 wrote: »

the blood runs deep because she is now my ex, nowt to do with 9/11

No one asked why.

Micky Dolenz

I was living in Melbourne, when I was told the Twin Towers had come down I thought they were talking about the ones in Kuala Lumpur

thomas353

Carl Sagan wrote: »

No one asked why.

my mate asked why, if you were here you would know that, i think thats just you being pedantic.

stoneill

I was doing the school run, waiting in my car for my son to come out from school. Gareth O'Callaghan was on the radio. I remember the disbelief when he reported a second plane, up to then it was assumed that the first plane was a tragic accident. As soon as I could I got home to watch Sky News.

punchdrunk

working in Lourdes France,watching the news in a hotel lobby
it was very confused and they were saying causalities would be between 40-60 thousand
I was convinced it would be the beginning of WWIII

awful day

I was in school. Didn't hear about it until I came home!

Bummer1234

came home from school and taking of the ould uniform off and turned on the tv...There was Brian Dobson on at 4.30 in the day!!!!..I was thinking "this ain't the 6.1" but then seen what was goin on!!! :eek:

Connie_c28

I was in work in an office and working with an American girl who's first statement was 'WTF have our government just done!'. Poor girl's brother and sister worked in the area and it took nearly a day and half for her to get word both were safe.

johnny_ultimate

Had just started 2nd year in secondary school. Our Irish teacher came in (first class after lunch if I recall correctly, maybe a bit later?) and told us about it: as Gaeilge :pac:. We picked up a few words here and there: Meiriceá, eitlean etc... although didn't fully understand, just enough to know something bad was going down. Then he explained in English.

eyeball kid

Was in New York that day and had planned to go up the twin towers that morning. Damn terrorists ruined my day, nothing was open!

Havermeyer

I was asleep in bed, having slept it out for my second day in art school.

All I remember is being woken up by my brother returning home from his early shift at work, shouting "It's World War fukking III".

I spent the rest of the day glued to the tv watching the planes crash into the towers over and over and over and over and over.......

stoneill

eyeball kid wrote: »

Was in New York that day and had planned to go up the twin towers that morning. Damn terrorists ruined my day, nothing was open!

that's so bad - but funny.

Handsome Bob

Um, in me gaf at lunch time, that's when I first heard about it anyway.