The year in review

This was the year of the stunning events of September 11, when the world watched in horror as two planes flew into the World Trade Centre.

In our newsroom that day, as a few of us walked into the newsroom after lunch, our on-duty reporter pointed at the TV and said: "A plane has just crashed into the World Trade Centre." Immediately, we assumed navigation failure or pilot error - but all that changed when the second plane crashed into the other Trade Centre tower.

Within about 10 minutes, there were reports that the FBI suspected a terrorist attack, and George Bush confirmed “an apparent terrorist attack on our country” by 2.30pm Irish time.

After a first newsflash to say there was smoke billowing from the World Trade Centre, and that it was believed a plane had crashed into it, here is the first confirmation we carried, at 1.55pm Irish time, that a plane crash had been the cause of the explosion:

"The top of the World Trade Centre has just exploded after a plane crashed into it.

There are flames billowing from the top of the tower and debris is falling to the streets below.

There is speculation that the fuselage of the plane has exploded in the building."

Considering all we know now, those words hardly touch the devastating impact of the World Trade Centre attacks.

The al-Qaida hijackers comandeered four planes in total, and intentionally crashed two of them into the twin towers in New York city, killing everyone on board and thousands of those working in the buildings.

Both towers collapsed within two hours, destroying nearby buildings and damaging others.

A third hijacked airliner was crashed into the Pentagon. Hijackers had redirected the fourth plane toward Washington DC, targeting either the Capitol Building or the White House. That plane crashed it in a field near Shanksville in rural Pennsylvania after passengers attempted to overpower the hijackers. There were no survivors from any of the flights.

The September 11 attacks claimed nearly 3,000 victims. All 19 hijackers died in the attacks.

September 11 was an incredible, world-changing event – the pictures in the gallery here remind us of its horror and impact.

2001 was also the year of the Nice Treaty, Holy Cross school protests, Liam Lawlor's imprisonment, the conviction of John Gilligan, the Enron scandal and the launch of the SSIAs.

A red letter year indeed…

September 11 - our coverage on the day