Overview
2001 was marked by the September 11 attacks, where over 3,000 people died when al-Qaeda hijacked four planes, hitting New York’s Twin Towers, the Pentagon, and Pennsylvania. In Ireland, large crowds attended religious ceremonies for Saint Thérèse of Lisieux. The 'Bertie Bowl' controversy arose over plans for a new sports campus, and Bertie Ahern appeared on RTÉ's The Premiership. Irish soccer fans celebrated World Cup qualification, and the TV show Bachelors Walk debuted. The first Harry Potter film was released, and Jeremy Irons restored a medieval castle in West Cork. The outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease affected both Ireland and Northern Ireland. Tanaiste Mary Harney married, the SSIA savings scheme launched, and Ellen MacArthur set solo sailing records. Sectarian violence continued in Belfast, and tragedy struck when eight Turkish migrants died in a freight container in Wexford.