My, doesn’t time just fly! The Daily Shift’s Roisin Peddle can’t believe these things were a whole decade ago…
Where the hell does time go to? One minute you’re in second year, blissfully unconcerned by the Junior Cert, the next you’re a graduate battling a horrible recession.
Can you believe these things happened a whole ten years ago?
- Mickey Joe Harte went to the Eurovision with his green guitar.
You’re A Star was a big deal; it was presented by Ray D’Arcy and gripped the country. Mickey Joe from Donegal won with the insanely catchy ‘We’ve Got the World’. He didn’t win the Eurovision, but he still became the soundtrack of the Irish summer.
(BONUS: Who remembers this?)
- If those songs sounded suspiciously summery to you, it’s because we actually got a summer in 2003.
Yes, hard to believe, but temperatures actually hit 30ºC in Mayo in August 2003. Indeed, parts of Europe got too much summer, with almost 15,000 people dying in France from the heatwave, many of them elderly residents of nursing homes.
- The Special Olympics came to Ireland
As well as the fantastic athletes themselves, stars such as Arnold Schwarzenegger, Colin Farrell and Muhammad Ali graced Croke Park for the opening ceremony.
- While we’re on the subject, 2003 was a good year for Colin Farrell fans.
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All out in 2003, fact fans. (Images via Impawards, greatrocker, and Wikimedia Commons. Author’s own compilation image)
In 2003, it seemed the man from Castleknock could do no wrong. 2004 would bring the terrible Alexander, but in 2003 we could gaze at those brown eyes to our heart’s content.
Oh, go on then.
- Can you believe it’s ten whole years since we had to memorise P Sherman, 42 Wallaby Way, Sydney?
… and we first met Captain Jack Sparrow?
- And these were some of the biggest hits of 2003. Yes, a whole decade ago.
Justin Timberlake with ‘Rock Your Body’
Beyoncé ‘Crazy in Love’. (Hey, anyone from Limerick remember how Live 95FM would insert their jingle in the middle?)
Evanescence, ‘Bring Me To Life’
… and the White Stripes, with ‘Seven Nation Army’.
- Speaking of armies, 2003 was the year that the war in Iraq begun.
The US, supported by Britain and other countries, went to war in Iraq, ostensibly to stop Saddam Hussein waving around his weapons of mass destruction. The war only ended officially at the end of 2011, with thousands of military and civilian casualties.
- Apple launched iTunes…
… it’s still relevant.
We also got MySpace….
… Which isn’t so much.
- Lastly, this happened at the MTV VMAs…
Which was either the greatest moment in history or pop music eating itself whole, depending on who you talk to.
What were your favourite memories of 2003? Let us know in the comments!
*Featured image via Wikimedia Commons
My, doesn’t time just fly! The Daily Shift’s Roisin Peddle can’t believe these things were a whole decade ago…
Where the hell does time go to? One minute you’re in second year, blissfully unconcerned by the Junior Cert, the next you’re a graduate battling a horrible recession.
Can you believe these things happened a whole ten years ago?
1. Mickey Joe Harte went to the Eurovision with his green guitar.
You’re A Star was a big deal; it was presented by Ray D’Arcy and gripped the country. Mickey Joe from Donegal won with the insanely catchy ‘We’ve Got the World’. He didn’t win the Eurovision, but he still became the soundtrack of the Irish summer.
(BONUS: Who remembers this?)
2. If those songs sounded suspiciously summery to you, it’s because we actually got a summer in 2003.
Yes, hard to believe, but temperatures actually hit 30ºC in Mayo in August…
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