2021-in-review

Lessons learned during life in lockdown

2021 will always be the year of 'life during lockdown'. There were so many stories to listen to and report upon. But for me, the most memorable example was the impact of home learning on a grandmother raising five children - including a set of 16-year-old triplets.

High price of preserving Dublin's 'rare ould times'

As demolition and redevelopment continues at a relentless pace in Dublin, the effort being applied to the restoration and conservation of historic buildings seems small by comparison

Children's resilience shone through pandemic worries

Ireland's children have borne their fair share of the burden during the pandemic with a resilience and good humour that many adults could learn from.

Wider policy response to tragic deaths is needed

My father worked with stone. He had an array of hammers and chisels that he used to put shape on a mound of old sandstone drawn from the ruins of my grandfather's house, my father's homeplace.

2021 saw China's Xi Jinping tighten grip on power

In 2021, while most of the world struggled to contain the virus, China kept its borders sealed, stamped out outbreaks with ruthless efficiency and in its zero-Covid bubble, set about turbo charging internal reforms.

Supply-demand storm keeps on brewing for property

Although the supply of newly built properties has been fairly decent in the context of lockdowns, the overall supply of homes has seen property prices ending the year with double digit percentage increases.

Some organised crime groups dismantled this year

Big Tech's biggest weaknesses were on display in 2021

While 2020 was a year when tech's greatest strengths were on display, it was its weaknesses that came to the fore in 2021, writes Adam Maguire.

Dodger Donaldson faces most important performance

A critic of Jeffrey Donaldson took to Twitter shortly after he was elected DUP leader and likened him to Oliver Twist, the character in the Charles Dickens classic.

Hail the heroes whose happy stories stood out in 2021

As a regional correspondent, the last 12 months has provided endless stories about Covid but it's the stories of hope and happiness that stand out.

Acts of kindness as islands of hope in a year to forget

Looking back over my work diary for 2021, it's all Covid and mica, then mica and Covid, every other week, with a few other stories thrown in, and, on a personal level, it's been horrible, to put it politely.

Mounting political troubles cap divisive 2021 for Biden

2021 began with what would become one of the biggest stories of the year in the United States.

A year of chopping and changing for hospitality sector

2021 was a year of chopping and changing for the hospitality sector. While most businesses were shut for the first six months of the year, the other half was spent trying to come to grips with ever-changing Covid-19 restrictions and guidelines.

Great uncertainty over virus spread as year ends

There was really only one word that dominated the health service this year - Covid-19, writes Fergal Bowers.

A challenging year for Ireland's retail sector

2021 was a tough year for many businesses across the country, particularly non-essential retailers who were shut for almost five months of the year.

Opposition TDs eye prospects over next 12 months

Surging Sinn Féin poll support means the TDs on opposition benches in several parties may have a shot at forming a government at the next election. Political Correspondent Paul Cunningham analyses the prospect for the Opposition over the next 12 months.

Another turbulent year for aviation

The Covid-19 pandemic grounded passenger planes on the tarmac of airports across the world in 2020 and the impact continued into 2021.

Ongoing support for arts needed after difficult year

Arts and Media Correspondent Sinéad Crowley sums up a turbulent year for the sector through three artistic moments.

'Very quickly things escalated' - US Capitol riot

A seismic year in Irish banking and financial services

Seismic is really the only way to sum up the year just gone in the Irish banking and financial services sector.

What the public told the Taoiseach about Covid

For many in Government the words "ideal match" may be a stretch too far, but one thing is certain, a majority within Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and the Green Party will want to keep the coalition marriage intact next year, writes Mícheál Lehane.

2021: A year in pictures

2021: A year in pictures

2021's economic surprises, headaches and conundrums

The story of the economy over 2021 brought many surprises - some pleasant - a few headaches and several conundrums, writes Economics Correspondent Robert Shortt.

Decade of Centenaries: The story so far

One hundred years ago this Christmas, the fate of the Anglo-Irish Treaty hung by a thread, the Dáil almost equally split.