2007

In 2007, Padraig Harrington won the British Open, and Ireland's cricket team triumphed over Pakistan at the World Cup. The Spice Girls and Boyzone reunited, while Apple launched the iPhone. Many Irish went Christmas shopping in New York. The 2007 election saw the 'Rumble in Ranelagh' and a disastrous result for the Progressive Democrats, leading to Michael McDowell's resignation. The Green Party joined Fianna Fail in coalition. In January, three fishing boats sank off Ireland's south coast, and in May, Madeleine McCann was abducted in Portugal. Galway faced months without clean water, and protests continued over the M3 motorway. The old Lansdowne Road stadium was demolished, and Ireland beat England 43-13 at Croke Park. In Northern Ireland, Sinn Fein and the DUP shared power, marking political progress.