On This Week: Roy Keane's farewell and 'The Portal' connects Dublin and NYC

RTÉ News​

06-05-2025

On This Week: Irish Moments from History (5th-11th May)
Welcome to On This Week, where we delve into the standout stories from the years gone by, featuring standout news stories, major sporting events, and pop culture highlights that helped shape Irish life.
Here's your dose of Irish nostalgia from 5th to 11th of May.
This Week In Irish News
Thousands of people travelled to Enniscrone to see a Boeing 767 successfully beached.
The aircraft left Shannon on a barge, and after it was beached, it was then brought to Quirky Nights Glamping village in Enniscrone, where it will be the accommodation centrepiece in a glamping village.
The site already had a number of old London taxis and a double-decker bus ready to be converted into accommodation on the site.
2024: The Visual 'portal' connects Dublin with New York City
Dublin and New York became connected through a new art installation broadcasting a 24/7 livestream of both cities.
'The Portal' allows for real-time interactions between Dubliners, New Yorkers and visitors to both cities.
Dublin's portal faces onto O'Connell Street, while the New York portal was located on the Flatiron South Public Plaza at Broadway.
The New York portal would later be relocated to Philadelphia and would eventually include livestreams of the cities of Vilnius and Lublin.
This Week In Irish Sports
Ken Doherty defeated the defending champion Stephen Hendry 18-12 to win the World Snooker Championship title.
Playing at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield, the Dubliner became the first man to win the World Championship at junior, amateur and professional levels that day.
Doherty would later reach the finals two more times, the following year in 1998 as defending champion and later in 2003.
2006: Roy Keane's testimonial takes place at Old Trafford
Close to 70.000 people turned up to see Roy Keane's farewell from playing professional football.
Keane played for Celtic in the first half before changing to Manchester United's colours. The game ended with Manchester United winning 1-0, thanks to a Cristiano Ronaldo goal in the second half.
Keane told the crowd at the end: "I'd just like to thank the fans for showing up, United fans and Celtic.
"I'd like to thank all the players - I know it's a long season, and this is the last thing they needed, but I do appreciate it. Thanks very much.
"That's it. Hope you have had a great night - it's something I shall remember for the rest of my life. All the best."
This Week In Irish Entertainment
2017: Saoirse Ronan stars in Ed Sheeran's Galway Girl video
Ed Sheeran unveiled the video to his hit song Galway Girl, which starred Saoirse Ronan.
The video takes place in Galway City and features cameos from several Irish celebrities, including Tommy Tiernan, Hector Ó hEochagáin, Peter Coonan, and Laurence Kinlan.
Sheeran shot the music video himself, which was directed by Jason Koenig, who also directed the music video for Shape of You.
2023: The Banshees of Inisherin and Bad Sisters big winners at IFTAs
The films The Banshees of Inisherin and Aisha and the TV series Bad Sisters were among the big winners at the Irish Film and Television Awards in Dublin.
The Banshees of Inisherin, which was nominated for nine Oscars that year, won Best Film, while Bad Sisters won Best Drama.
The Banshees of Inisherin star Brendan Gleeson was honoured with the Supporting Actor - Film award at the Dublin Royal Convention Centre, having received an Oscar nomination earlier that year.
This Week In Irish Culture
Further discoveries were made at a site in Usher's Quay in Dublin as archaeologists uncovered a 13th-century wooden harbour.
Excavation work had begun on the site in 1990, as it was known to contain remains of the old Dublin city wall. In April 1990, a Norman harbour, a wooden dock made from giant oak timbers, was uncovered.
It was believed all harbours in Dublin were built and situated outside the old city wall, but this discovery shed more light on how Dublin developed after the Norman takeover.
Property developers Ballymore Homes Limited undertook the required archaeological excavation before seeking planning permission. The plan was to construct an office block at Usher's Quay on the site of the old Provincial Hotel.
What was Number 1 in Ireland This Week?
1976: Fernando by ABBA
Fernando is one of ABBA's best-selling singles, selling six million copies that year and 10 million copies worldwide.
1991: The Shoop Shoop Song (It's In His Kiss) by Cher
This cover by Cher was featured in the soundtrack of the 1990 film Mermaids, which she also starred in.
2012: We Are Young by Fun featuring Janelle Monáe
Featured on Fun's second studio album, We Are Young achieved commercial success worldwide and reached number one in several countries.
Irish Celebrities Celebrating Birthdays This Week
Mary Coughlan (69)
Iconic jazz and folk singer and actress
Christy Moore (80)
Irish folk singer, songwriter and guitarist
Bono (65)
Lead singer of U2 and activist
Other Irish Trivia From This Week
2021: Dusty the Dolphin delights divers off Clare coast
Dusty the bottlenose dolphin, appeared to two young divers off the coast of west Clare.
During a shore dive near Miltown Malbay, two sisters with the Burren Sub Aqua Club were joined by Dusty. It was the club's first dive since the easing of Covid-19 restrictions.