As 2024 draws to a close it's been another very busy year on the news front in Northern Ireland.
The past 12 months have seen many highs and lows from Olympic wins to shock splits, political downfalls and the long-awaited return of Stormont.
With another year almost done and dusted (where did that time go?), here's a roundup of some of the headlines we reported on in Belfast Live in 2024.
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Stormont returns
The DUP ended its two-year boycott of devolved government in Northern Ireland in February this year after its leadership struck a deal with the UK Government over measures to address the so-called Irish Sea trading border and sovereignty.
The institutions in Northern Ireland were restored after a deal between Rishi Sunak’s Government and the DUP to address unionist concerns over post-Brexit trading arrangements, which included passing new legislation at Westminster.
MLAs took their seats in the Assembly chamber at Parliament Buildings, Stormont, on Saturday, February 3, for a sitting where ministers will be appointed to a powersharing executive, bringing an end to the impasse.
Sinn Fein’s Michelle O’Neill became the first nationalist first minister following the two-year political collapse and pledged to work with unionists to build a better future for Northern Ireland. DUP MLA Emma Little-Pengelly was nominated as deputy First Minister.
Donaldson arrests
Just before midnight on Thursday, March 28, Belfast Live broke the news that a husband and wife from Co Down had been charged with a series of historical sexual offences against two children.
Donaldson is accused of one charge of rape, four of gross indecency and 13 of indecent assault. The charges span a time period between 1985 and 2008. There are two alleged victims. His wife, Eleanor, 58, faces charges of aiding and abetting in connection with the alleged offences facing her husband.
The long-standing MP for Lagan Valley was arrested and charged in relation to the historical sexual allegations at the end of March. He resigned as DUP leader and was suspended from the party after the allegations against him emerged.
Weeks prior to his arrest, he had led the DUP back into Stormont following a two-year boycott of the powersharing institutions. Previous deputy leader Gavin Robinson has been appointed his successor as DUP leader.
A trial date has been set for 24 March 2025.
Eamonn and Ruth split
When television’s golden couple Eamonn Holmes and Ruth Langsford announced their separation in May, it sent shockwaves through the industry.
With a marriage deemed to be 'rock solid’ and one of the strongest in showbiz, the news that the couple were seeking a divorce after 14 years of marriage hit hard. The TV presenters, who are both 64, met in 1997 after being introduced by friends, leading to over a decade of dating before Eamonn proposed.
The couple tied the knot in 2010, but they hadn't been seen together publicly for two years prior to their split and in May they stunned fans by confirming it is all over in a statement. Once one of the most iconic couples on British daytime TV, the duo presented ITV's This Morning together for 15 years before being axed in November 2020.
Summer riots
Around 20 police officers were injured and 49 arrests have been made, including nine young people, linked to serious disorder in Belfast after an anti-immigration protest in early August.
Serious disorder and several race-related incidents broke out on the streets of Belfast on several occasions during the month. The unrest in the city and attacks on some businesses owned by people from minority ethnic backgrounds came after misinformation on social media following the murder of three young children in Southport, England.
The PSNI was criticised for how they handled the unfolding disorder, with officers accused of watching on as shops and cafes burned.
Politicians in Northern Ireland have since pledged to stand up against racism and hate, and repeatedly emphasised the importance of diversity for the region, particularly in the health and care sector.
Olympics joy
Northern Ireland enjoyed record success at the 2024 Olympics. Seven medals were won, including four gold, in the Paris games.
Competing for Team Ireland, Daniel Wiffin won gold and bronze, Rhys McClenaghan won gold and Philip Doyle won silver. For Team GB, Hannah Scott and Jack McMillan won gold while Rebecca Shorten won silver.
Prior to the Paris games, only three athletes from Northern Ireland had won an Olympic gold medal, and none since 1988.
Cruise ship's extended stay
Passengers onboard a luxury cruise ship stranded in Belfast for four months rejoiced in October when it finally set sail.
The Villa Vie Odyssey was scheduled to leave Belfast in May on its three-year round-the-world cruise. but its departure was delayed as it needed repairs.
Passengers on board included a couple from Palm Beach in Florida who had sold up everything to spend more than one million dollars acquiring three cabins on the Odyssey. Two passengers also became engaged after getting to know each other as they walked to and from the ship over the last few months.
Political earthquakes
Labour swept to power in July in the biggest landslide since Tony Blair’s first election triumph 27 years earlier. In Northern Ireland, Sinn Féin beaome the largest party in Westminster while the DUP lost three of its eight Westminster seats, including the North Antrim stronghold held by Ian Paisley and before that his late father since 1970 to the TUV's Jim Allister.
The DUP’s Paul Girvan lost to the UUP's Robin Swann in South Antrim. The party also lost Lagan Valley, previously a DUP bastion that was vacated by its former leader Jeffrey Donaldson to Sorcha Eastwood of Alliance.
But Alliance saw its deputy leader, Stephen Farry, lose his North Down seat to the Independent Unionist Alex Easton while party leader Naomi Long failed to dislodge the DUP leader, Gavin Robinson, in East Belfast. Elsewhere the SDLP's two MPs, Colum Eastwood and Claire Hanna, retained their seats.
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