Courtney Cox and Johnny McDaid split
Less of a love story, more of an Irish showbiz enthusiast’s dream, in 2013 we learned that Snow Patrol man Johnny McDaid was in lurve with Monica…we mean, Courteney Cox of Friends fame - a match orchestrated by Ed Sheerhan no less. They fell head over heels, she opened up her LA mansion to him, he didn’t seem to mind all her plastic surgery, and very quickly rumours were abound that they wanted to marry/had married/were going to marry. So we were devastated to learn that they split this year, apparently brought on by Courteney’s closeness to her male co-stars, though her ‘bossy nature’ and his smoking were also raised. The split seemed as sharp as it was painful. “He upped and moved. She doesn’t know where he lives,' a source revealed. Ouch.
Bressie penned a book
We knew him from being the hunky one in The Blizzards, then the hunky one on The Voice of Ireland, and then the hunky solo singer. Since coming forth with his story of anxiety, he’s become a hunky spokesperson for mental health, which is captured in his debut book Me and My Mate Jeffrey. Recently it won the Non-Fiction Book of the Year at the Irish Book Awards, turning him into a bona fide hunky author.
Jamie Dornan attends the UK Premiere of Fifty Shades Of Grey at Odeon Leicester Square on February 12, 2015 in London (Photo by Ian Gavan/Getty Images)Everyone went mad for Jamie Dornan
On February 13 2015, the day that every red-blooded female had been waiting for arrived: Fifty Shades of Grey’s cinema release. The production had been dogged by rumours of Belfast’s Jamie Dornan despising co-star Dakota Johnson, and tensions between the crew too. Can we be honest? It showed in the film, with the frisson between Christian Grey and Anastasia Steele limper than…anyway. While the end result was a resounding ‘that was nice’ it made an international pin-up out of Dornan. For that reason alone, roll on the next two…
Ronan and Storm got married
We’re still perplexed that former Boyzone schinger Ronan Keating could ever do the nasty on the epitome of class that is Yvonne Keating. But that was in 2011, we need to move on. Since then, he’s found true love again with producer for the Australian X Factor Storm Uechtritz. We know because they wouldn’t ever stop tweeting about it. A month after finalising his divorce from Yvonne, he popped the question to Storm, and they married in Scotland in August. “It was a perfect day,” said Ronan in their exclusive Hello! deal. We’re already excited to see if they’ll be any pregnancy exclusive deals.
Louis Walsh bowed out of X Factor
Was us or was something missing off X Factor this year? Decent talent? Viewers? Louis Walsh? All of the above, actually, but Mr Walsh’s lack of presence was particularly felt. For starters, it meant there was no one to biasedly champion an Irish act, leaving us with no vested interest. And who could we all gently take fun out of? His replacement Nick didn’t show any personality of note, Rita Ora and Cheryl were way too serious and Simon was beyond parody. There were rumours that Louis – who also picked up the Outstanding Contribution to the Entertainment Industry accolade at The Irish Post Awards this year – would return to the X Factor, but it appears Simon changed his mind and Louis has been slagging off the X Factor since. Good man.
50 Ways To Kill Your Mammy won an Emmy
Just when we thought 50 Ways To Kill Your Mammy was the secret between us and our Facebook friends, Nancy only goes and wins herself an International Emmy. Baz Ashmway’s increasingly barmy attempts to test his mother’s limits was aired on the Discovery Channel at the start of the year, and it immediately went down well. In November, the pair flew to New York to pick up the gong for Non-Scripted Entertainment. Better still, it was the only British winner of the whole night. Nancy celebrated with a good sit down and cup of tea.
Amy Schumer crashed a wedding
Amy Schumer’s visit to Ireland in August was always going to be the stuff of legend, but no one quite expected her and director Judd Apatow to fall into a pub where Glen Hansard was serenading a bride and groom with The Aul Triangle. The video demonstrates it was as bizarre as it sounds.
Sinead O'Connor performs at the Highline Ballroom on February 23, 2012 in New York City. (Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images)Sinead O’Connor raised health concerns
We’re familiar with Sinead O’Connor’s strange monologues on social media, but fans and friends became very concerned when she wrote what looked like a suicide note. “I have taken an overdose. There is no other way to get respect. I am not at home, I'm at a hotel, somewhere in Ireland, under another name,” she wrote. Since the post – on her now-disabled Facebook page – she was taken to hospital and stablised. But with a history of erratic behavior, we’re still sending good vibes her way.
Cathriona White. Picture via InstagramCathriona White passed away
Sadly make-up artist Cathriona White was not found in time. Aged 28, the Cappawhite, Co Tipperary, native committed suicide in LA in September, days after breaking up with partner Jim Carey. “'She was a truly kind and delicate Irish flower, too sensitive for this soil, to whom loving and being loved was all that sparkled,” he said, ahead of flying to Ireland to attend her funeral.
Vogue Williams and Brian McFadden attend the Trust In Fashion Fundraiser in London, (Photo by Tristan Fewings/Getty Images)Vogue and Brian split
The bad news continued with Vogue Williams and Brian McFadden announcing their divorce in July, after three years of marriage. But we take this with a pinch – nay, a barrelful of salt, because it wouldn’t surprise us if it was just a publicity stunt. Evidence A: The news of their private life was revealed on the public sphere that is Instagram. Evidence B: Days after the announcement, Brian picked Vogue up from a showbiz party with a grin that suggested he knew what he was doing. Though he remained oblivious to the bad acting.
The Edge (L) and Bono of U2 perform onstage during the U2 iNNOCENCE + eXPERIENCE tour opener (Photo by Kevin Mazur/WireImage)U2 returned to the world stage
After releasing Songs of Innocence last year, the world’s biggest band took to the tour bus again for The Innocence + Experience Tour. But rather take on outdoor megaconcerts, for the first time in a decade they stripped back with arena shows in the likes of the O2 Arena in London and Dublin. Paris, however, missed out on their turn as U2 postponed their two shows at Accorhotels Arena – one of which was due to be live streamed on HBO - after the tragic attacks in November.
Niall Horan of One Direction (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images for iHeartMedia)Niall Horan found himself with extra time
It had to happen eventually. This year One Direction finally put a brake on their juggernaut, and announced they’re to go on hiatus. While 1Ders around the globe were destroyed with the news, we commend them for not announcing a ‘split’ which is a boyband euphemism for ‘hiatus with more money and less regard for fans’. Though it’s bad news for many, there’s some good news for fans of Mullingar’s main man Niall Horan. His mate, 2FM presenter Eoghan McDermott, revealed he’ll be a regular feature on Irish shores now. “He said he wants to get a place in Ireland next year," Eoghan said. "Not to necessarily spend all his time here, just to be in Ireland quite a bit." Book your flights back now, everybody…
