Hurling and high street highs 'n' lows part of busy 2025 in Cork

As the Christmas period comes to an end and we are forced to shed our reindeer-themed pyjamas for “real clothes”, with nothing but the Bounty chocolates left in the Celebrations tin, we can safely tie a neatly wrapped bow on the festive season and on 2025.

While we look forward to the coming year, it is always wise to take a look back at the 12 months just gone — from the ups, downs, and everything in between — because “those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it”.

So, what did happen in 2025? First, let us cast our memories back to January 2, 2025, when the front page of The Echo read “National Disgrace” as Donal O’Keeffe reported that 17,190 patients were admitted to Cork hospitals without a bed in the previous year.

That same issue reported the death of Georges Bouniol, who died just days after the 28th anniversary of his daughter Sophie Toscan Du Plantier’s murder in West Cork.

The Echo also reported the birth of baby Rowan, who was born to parents Shannon Gibson and David O’Callaghan in Cork University Hospital, just 20 minutes into 2025.

While it may not have been a white Christmas, the same cannot be said for January as Ireland braced for a freezing start to 2025.

Thousands were left without power across Cork as snow, ice, and freezing temperatures continued.

The weather caused chaos on the roads and in North Cork, where Geary’s Bar in Charleville saw its outdoor area collapse under the weight of the snow. In Newtownshandrum, children from the Mulcahy, O’Brien, and Finucane families made the most of the snow day and erected a 12ft snowman.

Fast forward to the end of the month, January also saw Storm Éowyn blow in, coinciding with a Cork blow-in in Dublin as Micheál Martin was elected Taoiseach for the second time.

He was joined by six former lord mayors of Cork in the building. Finally, who can forget the Dáil row over speaking rights which led to the situation escalating to the point where the Dáil was suspended twice within an hour?

The high street took another hit in February when New Look shut the doors of outlets across the country, including shops in Opera Lane, Wilton, Ballincollig, and Blackpool shopping centres. Reporter Rachel Lysaght spoke to shoppers as they queued at the Cork city centre location ahead of the closure, with one customer saying: “This is another dent in the city. I know it will affect Wilton, Blackpool, and Ballincollig too, but especially in the city; a lot of it looks derelict, and this just adds to it.”

In April, news broke in Rome of the death of pope Francis. Tributes poured out to honour the late pope, with Taoiseach Micheál Martin describing him as an “exceptional leader”.

“Pope Francis’s long and distinguished papacy was marked by his unwavering commitment to the principles of compassion, peace and human dignity,” Mr Martin said.

Later that month, the beginning of the Satchwell murder trial dominated headlines. On April 30, The Echo’s front page read: “Richard Satchwell described to gardaí how he initially kept the body of his ‘glamorous’ wife of 25 years in a freezer before burying her beneath the stairs of the their home after he said she tried to stab him in the head with a chisel, a prosecution barrister told his murder trial.”

In May, Cork woke up to the find something missing from the city streets. In 2021, Cork City Council installed five CityTrees in the city centre as part of a strategy to tackle air pollution in the city.

The units, locally dubbed as “robot trees”, contained moss walls which, the council said, would filter pollutants from the air.

The devices initially cost €355,106 to install and were purchased under a government funding package. The council previously said it had been paying maintenance costs from August 2022.

The Echo reported: “Just after 9am yesterday, councillors were informed of the decision to remove the robot trees, and by lunchtime they were gone, their wooden bases left in place to serve as benches.”

The controversial structures were then placed into storage, having been rejected by MTU, UCC, and Irish Rail.

On April 30, tragedy struck on the Lee — which sparked the wider conversation of filming serious incidents. Sadly, 34-year-old Luke Hyde died following an incident in the River Lee.

While the incident was ongoing, a number of people along the quays were seen videoing and live-streaming the tragedy, leading Luke’s mother, Elizabeth Hyde, to call for legislation regarding the filming of such incidents.

May also welcomed the election of the first American-born pope, Chicago native Cardinal Robert Prevost, who chose the name Pope Leo XIV.

Crowds joyously waving flags and chanting “habemus papam” — the Latin for “we have a pope” — since white smoke rose from the Sistine Chapel shortly after 5pm on May 8.

The new pontiff is the 267th pope, and became the religious leader of some 1.4bn Catholics across the globe and someone believed to be called as the successor to St Peter — who was the first.

Taoiseach Micheál Martin congratulated newly elected Pope Leo XIV, The Echo reported.

In a statement, he said: “On behalf of the Government and the people of Ireland, I offer warm congratulations to Cardinal Robert Prevost on his election as Pope Leo XIV.

“The scenes of great joy and celebrations in St Peter’s Square are a reflection of the hopes and goodwill felt by people of the Catholic faith from all around the world towards the new Pope.”

Bird flu and bluetongue were two infections that made headlines in 2025, but nothing was more infectious than the “Rebel Fever” that spread throughout Cork.

In July, the Rebel army was steadily marching towards victory, with hurling hysteria building with each flick of the ball, each Hoggie score, and each winning match.

In 2025, the Cork side made history by becoming the Munster hurling champions for the first time in seven years — having put an end to Limerick’s chase for seven in a row on the Treaty’s home turf.

As Cork progressed, the Rebel army were hoping they would be second time lucky as the side booked their spot in the All-Ireland Hurling final.

Ticket chaos ensued, with friends of friends of friends who once met someone in a pub contacting anyone they thought may be in possession of a golden ticket to Croke Park.

The county was washed in red, with one hurling fan so sure that his team were to take the win over Tipperary, he made it permanent with a tattoo. Cork hurling fan Michael John Murphy took up the offer of a free tattoo from Skint Tattoo Studio, Passage West, etching the words “Cork All-Ireland Senior Hurling Champions 2025” on his forearm.

Unfortunately for Cork and Mr Murphy alike, July 20 was not the walkover that many were expecting. As the final whistle blew and the scoreboard read Tipperary 3-27 to Cork 1-18, the sounds of hearts breaking echoed around Croke Park as the Rebels were once again leaving the grounds empty handed.

“What happened in the second half,” and “what was said in that dressing room,” were questions heard across the county for weeks.

As dreams for the Liam McCarthy Cup ended, bids for the Áras began as the race to be Ireland’s next president got under way.

After weeks of speculating who would be on our ballot papers, we were left with three options: Former Dublin GAA manager Jim Gavin, Fine Gael candidate Heather Humphreys, and Independent TD Catherine Connolly. Or so we thought.

In a shock announcement during the campaign, Mr Gavin said he was withdrawing from the contest amid controversy over an unpaid debt to a former tenant.

As three became two, it was Catherine Connolly who emerged as the victor on polling day and was named President of Ireland. Was it because of the video that circulated of her impressive keepie-uppie skills? Perhaps.

In November, Cork found themselves asking “where did all the money go” as there were mixed opinions over the newly re-opened Bishop Lucey Park. The city centre park, which was closed for two years for re-development work, was re-opened in mid-November with a price tag of around €7m. However, many expressed their dislike of the new amenity.

“What we’ve been left with is a space with no playground, no play equipment, and none of the child-friendly amenities a true city centre park should offer,” Sinn Féin councillor Michelle Gould told The Echo.

Ms Gould said that, instead of “creating a welcoming green space where families can relax and children can play safely, the only open area left in the city centre has effectively been turned into a walkway linking South Main St to the Grand Parade”.

“This is a missed opportunity and a disappointing outcome for the people of Cork, who were promised and expected so much more.”

As one park opened, another closed as Fota Wildlife Park was forced to shut for 10 weeks following the outbreak of bird flu.

Over 70 birds were euthanised due to the outbreak.

Speaking at a re-opening, park director Aileen Tennant said that the closure had been the most challenging period in their four decades.

“A lot of difficult decisions were made, some which were very upsetting, which kept us awake at night. We lost many birds, every one of them an animal we care deeply about,” she said.

In a year that saw a Lotto jackpot win on Shandon St, a song about a Cork village trending in the charts, a heartbreaking hurling defeat, a new pope, a new President, and Traitors Ireland gluing the nation to their TV screens, 2025 was truly one full of ups and downs.