THE IRISH PUBLIC were fascinated by the local, European and general elections over the past year, if our view count is anything to go by.
The focus of the top five stories across 2024 is dominated by the elections held in Ireland, as well as the Family and Care referendums.
Also among our top ten stories was our coverage of Storm Isha in January, a tragedy at the Cliffs of Moher, and reaction to the scoping inquiry report into sexual abuse in schools run by religious orders.
Here’s a look at the top 20 most read stories on The Journal last year.
Close to 523,000 people checking to see which councillor had been elected in their local authority in the days following June’s local elections.
A similar article, from the general election, took second place, with over 344,000 people clicking on the piece in the days after the 29 November vote.
More politics in the top three, this time a liveblog following the comprehensive defeat of the Family and Care referendums.
The first day of counting was a slog, and by midnight, only 31 of the 174 TDs of the new Dáil had been elected. Like number 3, this article was also a liveblog.
Another election liveblog, something we’ll be seeing more of on this list. Come midnight on day one of the local election count, only 100 councillors had been elected and the EU election count was yet to come.
Last January, Storm Isha hit Ireland and our coverage was led by the sad death of a male motorist in Mayo whose car left the road during difficult travelling conditions.
Perhaps a surprise inclusion in the top ten were plans for a “universal companion pass” to allow people over 70 to bring a loved one or friend on public transport free of charge.
In May, there was a tragedy on the Cliffs of Moher in Co Clare when a young woman lost her footing and fell to her death.
On 20 December, Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary said he “regrets” the €500 charge passengers had to pay the airline for one-way tickets from London to Dublin.
Rounding out the top ten was a database on The Journal which contained a list of the schools and the number of allegations and alleged abusers at each one.
This followed the scoping inquiry report into sexual abuse in schools run by religious orders, which identified 308 schools where alleged abuse took place.
Number 11 on our list is another election liveblog, this time as the counting at the general election started to wind down and recounts were being ordered due to some races coming down to the wire.
When we left the liveblog, a recount was looming in Tipperary North and Cork North Central, while no one was yet elected in Cavan-Monaghan despite two full days of counting.
In March, a 16-year-old girl died near the 3Arena in Dublin. She had been taken to the Mater Misericordiae University Hospital, where she was later pronounced dead.
The only poll to make it into the top 20 most read stories was one asking our readers if they were happy with Bambie Thug being chosen to represent Ireland at last year’s Eurovision.
Bambie Thug went on to finish in sixth place in a Song Contest filled with controversy.
In July, 11-year-old Clodagh Phelan tragically died in Majorca, Spain after falling from a balcony at her hotel in Alcudia.
Taoiseach Simon Harris said he was saddened to hear of the “tragic loss”.
“So much promise and personality was snatched away in a terrible accident,” said Harris.
In February, a coastal community in Waterford was in “disbelief” following the discovery of the body of six-year-old Matthew Healy near a seaside cove.
Matthew’s body was found in a car at Dunmore East, Co Waterford shortly after midnight on 9 February, 2024.
This article, published in September, revealed that a cyclist who gave helmet camera footage to gardaí of drivers using their phones and parking illegally was issued with a fixed penalty notice himself after the footage showed the cyclist cycling through a red light.
The cyclist asked the garda member if the other drivers that appear to be committing traffic offences in the same video would be prosecuted.
He alleged that they were advised to submit their questions in writing.
The cyclist did so, however they received no response or acknowledgement.
Another election liveblog, but this time from the European elections in June. The big talking point at the time was the fact that a slide for Sinn Féin in opinion polls was borne out in the results.
Not all of the most read liveblogs focused on elections; this one from March documented the immediate aftermath of the resignation of former Taoiseach Leo Varadkar.
In a statement announcing the shock move, Varadkar said that after seven years in office, “I am no longer the best person for that job”.
Donald Trump will begin his second term as US president later this month.
The polling had it as a toss-up, but Trump went on to score a decisive victory over Kamala Harris.
The Republican Party also went on to take control of both the Senate and the House of Representatives.
Former Taoiseach Leo Varadkar wasn’t the only high-profile Fine Gael figure to step away from politics last year.
Indeed, more than half of the party’s TDs announced that they would not be contesting the 2024 general election.
This included Heather Humphreys, Richard Bruton, Charlie Flanagan, Ciaran Cannon, Simon Coveney, Michael Ring, Damien English, and Josepha Madigan.
This article was updated throughout the year as the resignations came rolling in.
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