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ALL AROUND THE island of Ireland, people gathered to welcome in the New Year last night.
2014 appeared with a bang, thanks to the plethora of fireworks that lit up the sky around the island, and the champagne corks popped from chilled bottles.
In Limerick City, it was a time to mark the beginning of its year as National City of Culture, with events taking place throughout the day leading up to the big moment at midnight.
Dolores O’Riordan of The Cranberries made a trip back to her home town to play at the NYE celebrations, while other acts including the Strypes, the Coronas, Maverick Sabre, SOAK and locals Leading Armies also took to the stage in Merchants Quay.
The weather wasn’t a deterrent to those who came out to hear the bells of St Mary’s Cathedral mark the turning of midnight.
In Dublin, the countdown concert featuring Madness and the (extremely busy) Strypes took place at College Green, while other events included a procession of light, and a brunch event in Temple Bar.
The event marked the end of The Gathering 2013 as much as it did the beginning of a new year. Seven million people visited Ireland this year, thanks in large part to the Gathering initiative.
In Waterford, the dawning of a new year also marked the beginning of the town’s 1100th year. The city was founded by Vikings in 914 and is planning more than eight months of celebrations for Waterford1100.
The night saw a New Year’s Eve party take place in Cathedral square, while celebrations will continue this Saturday for Vadrarfjordr!, an outdoor ‘fiery spectacle’ celebrating Viking life in Waterford.
How did celebrate New Year’s Eve? Tell us in the comments.
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Couldn’t help wanting to throw something at the tv when RTE switched back to the studio within seconds of the striking of midnight. I mean, you have this wonderful, colourful celebration in College Green with beautiful lighting projected onto the front of Trinity and a sea of people cheering and bang…we’re landed back, within seconds, to Dathai and Joe Duffy & co. RTE just can’t resist giving its own people maximum face-time no matter what the occasion. Lame.
Recorded “Callans Kicks The Year 2013″ watched it at 12, The guy and cast are fabulous, Going forward.
I was there . The fireworks display was an embarrassment .
And with all the musical talent Ireland has, the headline act is a british, gimmickey, past their prime band called madness…. Irrelevant! Also that awkward 2 minutes to midnight when laura whitmore did’nt have a clue what to do to fill in the gap, cringe! BBC was alot better!
Very disappointed, not funny. Wanted it to be funny, had a few beers, would have laughed !
Very dragged out, never laughed once, and no I’m not Mario Rosenstock (who’s not that funny either)
Have to agree, I would have been a a big fan of Madness back in the day, but they just seemed so out of place last night. All in all the entire event was cringeworthy, and just makes me thank my lucky stars every New Year’s Eve for Jools Holland.
15 mins before the countdown on RTE we were given Joe Duffy telling us not to worry anymore about austerity and we can’t control all that. Can we not even ring in the new year without this shite being mentioned every 5 minutes. They really know how to get a party started RTE.
I see everyone on here giving out about RTE with points well made. However if your not happy with RTE just change the Channel!
We pay a tv license fee to RTE.
@mitch
Always makes me laugh when people making over €300,000 talk about austerity..
Totally removed from reality!
Watched the Gary Barlow concert&amazing 10mins fireworks display from London…that’s how you mark a new year! RTE coverage was as usual like a very boring wedding with bad food,a shite band & everyone secretly hating each other…awful!
Changed channel from RTE to BBC about 10 min before the countdown. RTE have a lot to learn.
I had recorded the Madness concert as I used to love them, but I couldn’t bear to miss the brilliant Jools Holland which is just the best show on New Years by a mile. I flicked on to BBC1 a few mins after mins after midnight and their spectacular fireworks show was still in full flight. Contrast that with RTE which I’m just watching now, their countdown was shambolic, the fireworks obviously fell off the back of a truck, and don’t even start me on that fool Daithi O’Se who is an embarrassment, has no talent, and whose alleged charisma revolves around being the biggest bogger in Ireland.
The fireworks in London cost £2 million. If they had of spent that money on a Dublin display peole like you would complain about the cost. Ireland is broke remember.
Saw in the new year with Jools Holland and his now legendary hootenanny.
Class production with a great mix of musical genres and eras. Countdown kept low key with the whole thing feeling much more sophisticated than anything rte could offer.
Plus a million I’ve always looked at Jools every NYE his brilliant
You do know they film the New Year’s Eve jools holland show in October ?
In the year of the Gathering why did they have an English band headline the gig. Couldn’t they have had, The Script, Ryan Sheridan, Imelda May, Jack L or some other Irish artist!!
All the bands/artists you mentioned are no use – madness are – that’s why
Saw doctors or someone to get the party alive.
The strypes (from Cavan ) Ryan Sheridan -Irish , seo linn -Irish . Kodaline-cancelled as member sick . Madness headlined . Presented by Laura Whitmore . So which big Irish band would you get . I’m sure the likes of the script and U2 were thought if but perhaps busy or turned it down ?
You mean how Limerick and Dublin welcomed the new year…
Hi Elaine, please see my comment below. Thanks!
Did you mean – please see my comment ABOVE ?
Jaysus would yiz all give Aoife a break, she’s probably hungover like the rest of us.
I hate to disappoint you, but I’m not – and the comments move depending on how many thumbs they get.
Below! Scroll down
I honestly thought in a whole Rte done a shite job firstly Oliver Callan kick of proceedings then Nye 3 with auld wooden o Shea moaning joe Duffy worse night ever
Ya, Ireland? Disgraceful snaps. Apart from a few Limerick its all Dublin.
Hi there – we’re still waiting on some photos of other cities, so rest assured they will be added in when they arrive! In the meantime, feel free to send your snaps to tips@thejournal.ie.
Thanks!
Aoife
Fair enough, but it should be reported correctly, Dont become another Sky News. Headlining incorrectly… Have a great new years.
Gosh Vincent you’re a dry arse
Hi Aoife, apart from the photos only showing Dublin and Limerick, your article (?) only mentions Dublin and Limerick. So technically your article is “How Dublin and Limerick welcomed in 2014″ regardless of inviting readers to submit photos, the title is misleading. I could submit a photo of Sydney Harbour and Cork city last night, ad a few lines and title it “How the WORLD welcomed in 2014″
Lazy!
**add
Spot on.
Jaysus lads,did you not the shift last night or something ???
Aoife that’s rubbish. If the article isn’t finished then don’t publish it. And if you are going to publish an unfinished article, don’t try and pass it off as the finished version. If you’re waiting for stories and snaps from the rest of the country then it isn’t ready to be published.
You know what? Don’t mind me. I’m just hungover. Happy New Year!
I appreciate your honesty, Jean Paul! And like I said – we still haven’t received the photos, but I’m on the lookout.
Thanks
Aoife
Im not in Ireland at the mo but I found Rté always terrible for New Years tv. I mean last I seen was podge and rodge on for the new year?? and no build up to it just a few minutes after the new year countdown they mentioned it in passing!!!
Whos the bright spark that hired madness.jesus you couldnt of picked a worst band to play on newyears eve.
I’ve seen better fireworks in a science lab at college….
Fetac course doesn’t count as college
I was in bed by 11.15…..fireworks woke me up at 12..craziest New Years I’ve ever had…..
Even New Years needed a Bailout from overseas apparently….Madness? Typical RTE – where you won’t hear anything on the radio but 80s has beens. My new years resolution is to switch to BBC 6Music permanently and avoid RTE and its Mupperati like the plague in 2014.
The fireworks were advertised as starting at 8 after the Festival of Lights. There were thousands stood waiting at the green, no announcements, no explanation, nothing. After travelling in with kids and paying for parking. Nothing but a farce.
Fireworks last year at 8 (2012). None this year (2013) as you’ve discovered.
Can everyone stop moaning about different topics and just enjoy the new year.
Welcome to moansville suzanne. Population 1000. They’re here forever.
Hau
Yeah
Yeah now you have it!!
I watched Jools Holland last night as I did for the past few years. Excellent, Professional and he really knows how to host a show. RTEs production was the annual cringing effort. The same old faces trying to make shite talk sound interesting. It’s about time RTE got rid of the boring old farts that pop up at every televised event.
You do know that the jools holland New Year’s Eve show is filmed in October to suit schedules of the different performers.
@Niallers It was filmed on the 11th of December
This year it was. It’s not live. Ever.
London looked amazing last night.. some firework display ! RTE are pure muck
Maybe you should complain to Dublin city council. The BBC didn’t pay for the London display. The London council tax payer paid for it.
There was a thank you message to Vodafone at the end of the BBC show for contributing to the display, and images coming from New York looks like Nivia was a sponsor. I’m sure big business in Dublin could have been tapped?
It was definitely sponsored as saw Vodafone advertisement on a whole building. London didn’t pay for all of it. They did put on a great display. Amazing in London
Yes Ruth we know Vodafone sponsored the event you could hardly miss it if you were in London. They paid £200k towards the event, the remaining £1.8 million was paid by the London council tax payer.
Gary Barlow on BBC was so much better, rang in the new year with that instead
100% better
Shame on RTE. Terrible countdown to New Year with the pack of boring old farts in the studio and on stage in college green. Why not give the gig to a vibrant young energetic band and some fresh blood in RTE.
I think even if someone went round speaking to people in the crowd would have been good too get to see the atmosphere more watching people talk shite in a studio is just boring. Think I’ll plan a trip to Edinburgh next year looked amazing once again this year..Ireland is a let down
Was it 25 euro to go to a NYE eve party.. In a capital city? The rest of the world don’t do that, so annoying
We didn’t have a concert in London. Just a 14 minute fireworks display then it was over. Id love to see madness in concert on the streets NYE.
Should it not be how dublin and limerick celebrated the new year? Doesn’t seem to be photos of any other county celebrations!
Pretty pathetic the irish efforts. It looks like they had 50 cents worth of fire works which more than likely were confiscated ones from Halloween.
Watched the 2 minutes of fireworks in Dublin then switched over to sky news to see Londons and Edinburghs! Dublins fireworks and Nye show on rte was embarrassing.
Seeing as I went out & drank too much on the 30th & died a thousand deaths yesterday I stayed in & watched Jools Holland. I forced half a can of lager down around midnight but could not manage any more & went back to the water. I feel great today though. Happy New Year.
Up the dub,s
The madness were pure shite. Well done RTE, great to see you are promoting the fantastic home grown talent! Why not have the coronas or the script or ANYONE with talent, be the headline act??
The Coronas were part of the bill in Limerick. Across the two stages 95% of the acts were Irish!
You can’t beat jools Holland on nye, can’t believe the moaning on here today! Happy New year :)
This was my first night staying in on nye for decades. Innocent me, I put on rte at 11.55. Good lord, madness were useless There was a complete lack of atmosphere. Then the countdown… Waited for the fireworks, and what do we get? 5? People opening a bottle back in studio. & then back to madness once the fireworks were over. So disappointed. Will know never to watch rte for nye again
Same here. Was so disappointed. I tuned into Sky news to see the brilliant fireworks all over he world. Would like Ireland in this channel too.
Is there anywhere the minister with an opinion on everything leo varadkar will not stick his mug?
Limerick’s fireworks were a disgrace. They lasted 10 seconds and it was unclear whether they were put on by the city or a few lads in d’island getting rid of stuff left over from halloween.
They were definitely austerity fireworks in limerick, they normally do 20 minutes or more but were about 7 minutes long this New Year’s Eve which was a bit crap considering the hype.
So Ireland = Limerick and Dublin now?? Interesting!
Watched Ireland West Tv. Best show for the real Ireland. Also their Christmas night show was brilliant.
Should read… Here is how the ganglands of limerick and Dublin welcomed 2014.
I won tickets or the gig in Dublin so the husband and I went for the rare night out. The Irish acts were brilliant especially Seo linn and Ryan Sheridan even though I didn’t know many of their songs I was still foot tapping and clapping along etc, then the Sugababes (mks) came on, and I would be familiar with their songs however they failed to get an atmosphere and they bored me if I’m honest! (They did look great though!) I like the odd madness song but again wouldn’t know many but they were fun. But I must admit there is something special
About clapping along to one of our own in front of a packed crowd majority of which were tourists! Fireworks were rubbish!
I think daithi o se is wonderful.
I think you’re in a minority love
Shouldn’t the title read: Here’s how Dublin celebrated the new year, oh, and we’ll throw in a few token pics of Limerick as it’s the City of Culture 2014′
Happy New Year to all
I watched it on sky news and watched everybodys fireworks from my balcony could see nearly all of Dublin was amazing. Chinese lanterns looked great too floating all around the sky
Is it true that you had to pay €25 into the Dublin event, and I presume this would not be the case for other cities around the world?
Had a fantastic night at the Dublin countdown. Ryan Sheridan was fantastic and Madness were amazing – it was huge hit after huge hit. The fireworks could have been a lot better but overall I thought the atmosphere was brilliant. And because it was a ticketed paid for event there were no knackers and no trouble at all. Defo going next year!!
On route from Belfast to Dublin we broke down and missed the entire event, and a lovely guy from Statewide Breakdown in Rush came and towed us of the motorway. i love the atmosphere in Dublin on NYE.
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