THE LIST OF the most-read stories on TheJournal.ie throws up some interesting nuggets every year.
In 2015, the focus of the top 10 stories is almost entirely on breaking news: Berkeley, Carrickmines, the Paris attacks, the shooting of Garda Tony Golden, the death of Karen Buckley, and the Charlie Hebdo attackers are all there.
The only two stories that aren’t breaking news stories act as book-ends for the list: the most read story was, rather bizarrely, a photo of two dogs hugging in a pet rescue centre, while the tenth-most read story was a column about a woman’s battle for social welfare payments.
Here’s the list in full:
1. Hugging photo saves dogs from being put down
Views: 539,344
What was it about? Two dogs in a pet rescue centre in America were saved from being put down after a photo of them appearing to hug each other went viral.
2. Loophole means ecstasy and loads of other drugs are now legal (but only until Thursday)
Views: 455,566
What was it about? For two strange days, ecstasy, magic mushrooms, ketamine and a host of other drugs were temporarily made legal in Ireland following a court ruling which highlighted a problem with the government legislation which was supposed to have banned them.
3. As it happened: At least 120 people dead as Paris is hit by terrorist attack
Views: 431,232
What was it about? On Friday 13 November, a series of coordinated terrorist attacks hit Paris, leaving 130 people dead.
Views: 382,823
What was it about? Six Irish students died, and another seven were injured, when a balcony collapsed at a 21st birthday party in the city of Berkeley in California.
5. Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for downing Russian passenger plane
Views: 366,637
What was it about? 224 people died when a Russian passenger plane was brought down in the Sinai peninsula in Egypt. A group affiliated to the so-called Islamic State claimed responsibility.
6. Body found in Glasgow confirmed as Karen Buckley
Views: 307,776
What was it about? Four days after she went missing on a night out in Glasgow, the body of 24-year-old Cork student Karen Buckley was found by police. Alexander Pacteau, the man found guilty of her murder, was sentenced to a minimum of 23 years in jail.
7. As it happened: Charlie Hebdo suspects dead and four hostages killed in Jewish shop
Views: 305,754
What was it about? Two of the perpetrators of the Charlie Hebdo attacks were killed and four hostages died in two separate hostage situations in Paris and Dammartin on 9 January.
8. Two infants among ten dead in blaze at Dublin halting site
Views: 259,347
What was it about? Ten people, including a six-month-old baby, were killed in a blaze at a halting site in Carrickmines in Dublin in October. The dead were all members of two families. Taoiseach Enda Kenny described it as an ‘unspeakable tragedy’.
9. Two people, including on-duty garda, killed in Louth shooting
Views: 257,689
What was it about? On-duty garda Tony Golden was shot dead at a house in Louth as he accompanied a woman there to collect her belongings. The perpetrator, 24-year-old Adrian Crevan Mackin, seriously injured the woman before turning the gun on himself.
10. ‘Dear Joan Burton: Today, I sat in a dole office and cried to a complete stranger through a glass partition’
Views: 257,310
What was it about? An anonymous reader wrote a column about the anger and embarrassment she went through at a Dublin dole office when she found out she was not entitled to any payments as she had been self-employed.
All figures correct at the time of being compiled
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