Reeling In The Years – 2003 recalls when over 7,000 athletes from 160 countries took part in the Special Olympics in Ireland. It was the year that the Spire in Dublin’s O’Connell Street was completed, the Famine replica ship ‘Jeanie Johnston’ made its maiden voyage to America, and Dubliner Rosanna Davison won the Miss World competition. An exclusive photo deal with ‘Hello’ magazine meant that Ireland’s wedding of the year took place behind closed doors in France, when Westlife’s Nicky Byrne married Georgina Ahern, daughter of Bertie and Miriam.
Overcrowding in Accident and Emergency departments, long waiting lists and ward closures led to crisis in Ireland’s health services. Abroad, 2003 was dominated by the war in Iraq. The countdown to war brought worldwide protests – including a 100,000-strong march in Dublin – and a UN debate over Iraq’s supposed ‘weapons of mass destruction’. US and British air attacks on Iraq were followed by a land war that saw the end of Saddam Hussein’s brutal regime. However, although the US declared ‘mission accomplished’ after only six weeks of war, armed conflict and civil strife continued to grow across Iraq.
2003 was also the year of the ‘Columbia’ shuttle disaster and the outbreak of SARS (Sudden Acute Respiratory Syndrome).
Tyrone’s Gaelic footballers brushed aside Pat Spillane’s ‘puke football’ criticism and won their county’s first senior All-Ireland title. On TV, it was the year You’re A Star sent Mickey Harte to represent Ireland at Eurovision with ‘We’ve Got The World’, while the ill-fated Cabin Fever reality TV show hit the rocks when the boat sank off Tory Island.
Reeling In The Years – 2003 includes music from The Thrills, The Darkness, Paddy Casey, Will Young, Junior Senior, Mickey Harte, Jamelia, Mis-Teeq and Coldplay.