Where were you when big news stories broke?

con___manx1

9/11

I got my junior cert results that day. My mam picked me up from school. She had the radio on.they were talking about the first tower falling. a teacher passing stuck his head in the window of the car to have a listen for some time.

RockOrBog

9 -11... I was in Ballymun working on the roads during the "regeneration"

I remember a child being accidentally killed around that time and a worker was buried in a trench as well. RIP to them all

StupidLikeAFox

I was in secondary school when 9/11 happened, my lasting memory is hearing about the day of mourning (day off school) over the intercom the following day - there was a massive cheer and someone shouted "god bless america".

The day off was the most important thing to our young selves and we did not understand or care about the wider context of the attacks

Grayson

Kurt Cobain dying. I was in bed. My housemate came storming into the room, woke me up and said something like "the bastards dead. I queued for hours yesterday for tickets" A few mins later he was wondering if he should keep the tickets or get a refund as they might be worth something in a few years.

o1s1n

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121632466#Comment_121632466

I'd forgotten about that day of mourning. Absolutely everywhere in town was closed for the day. I remember as I was trying to buy smokes and couldn't find a single shop open!

L1011

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121635003#Comment_121635003

I'm pretty certain no business was bothered to pay bank holiday grade or higher pay to get people in at such short notice.

Last time I'd got a day off school at such short notice was when my FF-supporting school principal suddenly decided we should all stay home to watch McAleese's inauguration a few years earlier.

Tony EH

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121613183#Comment_121613183

I remember Tommy Cooper keeling over and the stage curtains closing. Everybody clapped because they thought it was part of the act.

iamstop

Was just finished setting my tent and bedding up at Vantastival 2012, when I got a text from my then OH to tell me MCA from the Beastie Boys had died. Was pretty upset for about 20 mins, as I'd seen them a few times and even met the man himself. Picked myself up, dusted off and told myself he wouldn't want me to spend a festival in a **** mood so spent the rest of the weekend altering my mind state by self medicating. Great craic it was.

jmreire

September 11th, I was in Afghanistan, down in the basement of the house I was living in watching TV, in which Dari or Urdu were the only languages. There was a program showing a plane crashing into a high tower, and it was on a continous loop. So, not understanding a word, I went upstairs and found an Afghan colleague, and he explained what was going on. And all I could think was, " We are rightly in the sh*t now!!!" And so, we were!!!

Gregor Samsa

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121635075#Comment_121635075

Exactly. My dad was in stitches and said to us "Watch now, he'll suddenly appear floating up in the air or something".

Sadly, he didn't.

cml387

Dublin/Monaghan bombs. For some reason I associate it with the fact that the Loyalists had blacked out RTE's coverage of the European Cup final the previous Wednesday as part of the UWC strike. Little did we know that wasn't the worst they could do..

Ronan Collins was reading out the list of people who died on this day during his morning programme on RTE Radio 2. He added hat he supposed he would have to add John Lennon's name. WTF!

9/11 I saw happening more or less as it happened (the first plane had already crashed but CNN were still speculating that it was a small plane) I was still watching when a larger plane appeared near the towers and I thought "That's a bit close".

Calahonda52

22/11/1963

B&W telly in the house a week, rationed to one 30 minute slot which was interrupted to say that the President of ... had been assassinated and the program was cancelled.

So asked the Ma, wtf... didn't end well😂

TheIrishGrover

Was living in Tipp but up in Dublin for U2 concert when Princess Diana died. Staying at a friend's gaff. Woke up to the news on radio. Blah blah blah Diana blah blah. Thought to myself: Oh, they must have announced engagement. Fair play. "The bodies will be delivered tomorrow " The what, now?

Was at Glastonbury when Michael Jackson died. Having breakfast at one of the tents. Overhear some people talking: "Michael Jackson died". "No, you idiot, it was Michael Jordan. Sure he's had AIDS for years... or was that the other guy?" "I heard it was Michael FLATLEY!" LOL

Nick Cave, later that day: an icon of the entertainment industry died today... here's to you, Farah Fosset

Burt Renaults

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121632045#Comment_121632045

It could've been. Diagnosis Murder was on after Neighbours, at around 14:10. Either way, Diagnosis Murder didn't happen. I remember being absolutely livid. I was the real victim that day.

Sultan of Bling

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121635678#Comment_121635678

Maybe I'll start a different thread titled "Where were you on on 9/11 when news broke that the BBC weren't showing neighbours and diagnosis murder"

ruth...less

I was doing a PLC course when 9/11 happened and I use to go to meet my friend who was in sixth year after school and that day when I met her after school, she said that the principal told her, remember where you are now when you heard this.

Jim2007

I spent most of the morning of 9/11 in transit from Geneva and only arrived into the office in Basel in the late afternoon. When I made it on to our floor there was a strange silence - from mid afternoon onwards was normally when everyone was going flat out, but today everyone was crowded around the TVs dotted throughout the floor... "Have you heard? WTC is on fire"... "Cantor are not answering their phones"... "Goldmans are saying their trading system has gone off line"... I still remember these remarks as if it was only last week.

It took probably 24 hours for it to sink in... the voice we heard on the phones every day, the people we negotiated with and joked with, were gone and we'd never hear from them again. I'm retired now and every so often I find myself think of them - they had young families, expectations for their kids, plans and dreams just like us, except they never got to live them. As the say it is a privilege to grow old because not everyone gets to do it.

JFK, I was 3 years old and heard my grandfather call to my mother from our living room that he had been shot, it hadn’t been fully confirmed he was dead though it wasn’t looking good. I knew he was an important man, the head of America. My father had a big map hung up in a room, so I knew where America was and where Ireland was and that it was a very big country. I asked if he was going to die, do all people who are shot die? My mother later told me she thought her father’s mind was wandering as he had a bit of dementia/Parkinsonism. Then came the confirmation he was dead, and there were certainly expressions of unpleasant surprise that this could have happened. I was running from sitting room to kitchen and back catching up with the news.

Vita nova

I can remember 9/11 very well. I took a half day off work and was home at lunchtime. The TV was on in the background and they were replaying the plane hitting the first tower. At first it looked more like a movie but it soon became obvious to me that it wasn't and when the second plane hit there was no doubt. I recall the commentators saying it was a second Pearl Harbour.

I remember the deaths of Elvis, John Lennon and Kurt Cobain but can't remember where I was or what I was doing when I heard the news, however, I clearly remember the death of Marvin Gaye and I didn't hear it through the grapevine. It was 1984 and I was in my childhood bedroom listening to Night Train with Mark Cagney on Radio 2 (now 2FM). MG had just been shot in LA and the rest of the show was about MG and his music and the bizarre circumstances of his death, shot by his father. 

TheIrishGrover

As for 9/11. Saw the news as reports of first plane were coming in. Was on the phone to my mam who was in hospital for a regular checkup and this popped up. "Hey mam, you have a tele in your room? Turn on the news. Terrible accident in New York". Cut to some time later when I was on way into work (Afternoon shift). Cycling in. Met a friend also cycling. He had one earpiece in, listening to radio.

Me: Jeez, that was mental, huh?

Mate: Yeah. Now they are saying The Pentagon may be hit

Me: Ah now they are just panicking. They'll assume a dark cloud passing over a building is something coming at them.

..... Shows what I know.

I think my EARLIEST memory of something major was John Lennon being killed.

dxhound2005

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5XwXliCK19Y

jmreire

September 11th, I was in Afghanistan, and in the basement sitting on a cushion on the floor, watching the TV, which was running a loop of an aircraft crashing into a tall building, but as the language was Pastu and Dari. So, after a while I went upstairs and met one of the Afghans I worked with, and he filled me in. And that was the beginning of two very hectic weeks for me.

endacl

I was on the jacks when facekicker was banned.

Bogwoppit

For 9/11 I was working as a fishing guide in the Scottish highlands. I was in a hut with no phone/radio/tv and an 8 mile hike from the nearest house.
I didn’t find out about until 2days later when we got back to the main lodge.
For Diana I was at home in my parents house, I woke up early and had the tv on in the kitchen. Had to tell each family member as they arrived in. I was at the U2 concert in Dublin later that day and popped my cherry that night!

Hangdogroad

On the morning of 9-11 I was nursing a massive hangover having been out on the sesh the previous night.

OscarMIlde

Berlin Wall coming down. Was 5 years old and remember seeing it in the news. Couldn't really understand how people had such difficulty getting over such a small wall.

9/11 I had mitched off school that day and was wandering round town. I knew something big had happened from how people were talking but thought it might have related to NI. When I got home mom asked whether teachers had told us about it, and I said yes but that I didn't know the full story. Was brought in to see Sky News and was inwardly freaking out watching it but trying to act like I wasn't shocked. Mom noticed and I remember her saying how it looks in reality must be more shocking than just hearing about it. Was working in a pub that evening and I remember we were all (staff and patrons) just glued to the TV that night watching it over and over.

Gore conceding to Bush. Not sure if it was live when we watched it or replay of that evening news but remember having drinks after work in the pub watching it on the big screen where we showed matches. It seemed such a crazy thing that Bush could be president. I remember having such a sense of foreboding which in retrospect was damned correct.

Brexit. I ran into a cousin of mine early in the morning on the bus. She had just moved back from England. Asked her how she was and she said freaking out about Brexit. Told her it would never pass and she said 'haven't you seen the news, it has'. Couldn't believe it as the British media just the evening before had been covering it as a joke, throwaway event.

Pablo Escobar

For 9/11 I was at school learning about Prussia. When I came home that day it was all over the TV.

For Brexit, I was travelling back from Ireland v Italy at Euro 2016. I stayed with a relative in London the day of the vote and getting there was a nightmare due to very heavy rain. Trains cancelled everywhere, platforms still full in central London at 9:30pm. The next morning the news broke about the result and the atmosphere on the Tube was different. It felt like everyone was in shock.

Pherekydes

For JFK's assassination, I was playing with my cars on the living room floor when my father came home and announced the news. I think my parents were in shock.

911, I was on the roof of a building in St John's with some colleagues. We witnessed many airliners landing (St John's was not a busy international airport in those days) and realised it was related to the news filtering through. It was a beautiful day, too. 27 degrees and clear blue skies. Tragic.

Decuc500

911 I was in Toronto on holidays. I saw an early morning film at the Toronto Film Festival. When the film was over we got the train back to our hotel which was just outside the city. The train was packed with office workers leaving the city. I overheard someone talking about a plane hitting the twin towers. I assumed it was an accident with a small plane. Turned on the news in the hotel room to see what really happened and rang home.

ruth...less

Freddy Mercury dying. I was about 7 or 8 getting ready for school and it was on the tv and my mam was shocked.

Luna84

September 11th. I took a day off work that day as a girl I knew and her friends were visiting and needed some where to stay so I let them stay in the apartment I was renting. It was the best day of my life up to then and after as I had a gang bang with all six of the girls. I was like a machine giving it to them. Wouldn't be able for it now, I'd be able to give it to three or four of them once now but it was constant that day. They were hot as fúck and mad for it. It always brings a smile to my face when I hear or see someone mention 9/11.

Ekerot

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122177784#Comment_122177784

Ok, this is epic

Luna84

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122178824#Comment_122178824

Well not for you but it was for me. Unless you too got lucky that day.

Anyway I wasn't here bragging or anything the thread specifically asked what I was doing when news stories broke so I just explained what I was doing on 9/11. It's engrained into me at this stage and I smile a lot when I hear 9/11.

Esel

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122178839#Comment_122178839

Did the news cause you to break your rhythm? That is the real question…

Luna84

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122178897#Comment_122178897

I didn't even hear about that until the next day. But as I keep saying it's a date I kept on hearing about since then and it always brings a smile to my face.

50HX

9/11 in college...parents were in NY at the time

Dermot Morgan dies...driving a tractor

Veronica Guerin....footing turf

Gerry Ryan....having a quiet pint in an old pub

freshpopcorn

The 7/7 bombings in 2005.

I had just finished up 6th class a few weeks previously and was looking forward to long Summer days with friends.

I just remember I was in the living room with my grandmother and it popping up on the news.

Hard to belive it's 19 years ago and how we've all grown up and times have changed.

waywill1966

I remember our teacher breaking the news to us in December 1980 that John Lennon had been shot!