The Rana Plaza collapse has led to calls for drastic reform of the garment industry

It was a bad year for Gerry Adams, but the North has experienced many much worse years

From the moment of the pope’s election, in March, there has been the sense that something remarkable has happened. But can Pope Francis implement his bold vision?

We’ve a lot of anniversaries on our plate these days, but the Vikings should be allowed raid the calendar

From Pussy Riot to Netflix and Jeff Koons’s €42 million dog, our critics choose their best and worst of the past year

From becoming a grandmother for the first time to simply enjoying meeting customers in a shop, the best memories are personal

May elections in 2014 will present a particular challenge for the Coalition, which will also face the ultimate test of its decision to forgo an emergency credit line post-bailout

Violence and political instability across the Middle East have cast a hopeless shadow on the aspirations of 2011’s Arab spring, but there are some bright points

What a difference a year makes: the new faces of 2013

Summer 2013 started late but then it seemed to go on . . . and on, and had us basking in soaring temperatures and glorious autumn foliage

‘The Fall’ epitomises TV drama’s rise and rise while Netflix flexes its muscles

Edward Snowden blew the lid on US spying in Europe, but the real enemy may be public apathy

Ireland’s economy is starting to look like the euro zone’s comeback kid, but with such a fragile and two-tiered recovery, a happy ending may yet be out of reach