Hot Press 40th Anniversary: Cultural Events That Changed The Face of Ireland (20 - 11)

20. What's Wrong With These Pictures?
It was a remarkable moment. In 1978, The Boomtown Rats had just scored the first ever Irish rock ‘n’ Roll No.1 in the UK with ‘Rat Trap’. They celebrated by tearing up pictures of John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John on the iconic BBC programme, Top of The Pops. Yes, some new kids with attitude in abundance had arrived on the block. Fourteen years later, in 1992,with the global smash of ‘Nothing Compares To You’ behind her, Sinead O’Connor – one of the greatest artists of her generation globally – went on Saturday Night Live and tore up a picture of Pope John Paul II. She was widely vilified in the land of the free, but those who cared about the damage being done by the hideous machinations of the Catholic Church, especially in relation to sexual abuse and policies that encouraged the spread of AIDS, applauded her courage.

19. Nurse! The Screen!
Whereas Ireland on the big screen had mostly been confined to insulting, Americanised stereotypes of the begorrah and bejapers variety, the ’80s witnessed the emergence of a new breed of Irish film directors. Jim Sheridan and Neil Jordan blazed the trail with My Left Foot, In The Name of the Father and In America (Sheridan) and Mona Lisa, The Crying Game, Interview With The Vampire, Michael Collins and The End of the Affair Jordan) all nominated for Academy Awards.

18. Fab Vinny and MTUSA
Suddenly there was something else to do on mid-’80s Sunday afternoons. Radio 2 DJ Vincent Hanley, famously dubbed Fab Vinny by Hot Press, went to the USA and broadcast the video-dominated MTUSA. It became a regular three-hour must-view for Irish music fans, turning us all into ZZ Top aficionados. The series ended when Hanley, sadly, died of an AIDS-related illness in 1987.

17. Busking Gets Street Cred
Once upon a time, busking was regarded as only slightly more acceptable than outright begging. Now it’s a virtual artform in itself, thanks in no small way to the Benzini Brothers, who morphed into Hothouse Flowers and became major stars in their own right as a by-product of their sparkling performances on Dublin’s Grafton Street. Since then they’ve all done it: Glenn Hansard, Rodrigo y Gabriela, Paddy Casey, Damien Rice, Riptide Movement – and even Bono and Hozier at Christmas every year, raising money for homeless charities.

16. The Creation of 3 Arena
Back in the ’70s, Irish rock fans had only one national venue, the National Boxing Stadium in Dublin, which had a capacity of maybe 1,200. But the arrival of 2fm and Hot Press, among other factors, created a burgeoning audience who demanded something bigger and better. A railway depot in Dublin became The Point Depot. That barn-like structure was transformed into 3 Arena, which has gone on to become one of the busiest and most popular venues in the world. With world-class facilities available both here and in the Bord Gais Energy Theatre across the river, Dublin is now a must-play for all of the major touring acts – from Bob Dylan to Kylie Minogue, Rihanna and Beyoncé.

15. TV3
Irish language TV station, TG4 (originally TnaG) launched in 1996. But a real rival to RTÉ was still required and after an enormously difficult gestation, TV3 finally arrived in 1998. The station took a long time to fulfil its destiny, but the past few years have seen rapid change and growth, with Irish produced programmes like Tonight with Vincent Browne and the acclaimed soap Red Rock impressing hugely. With three channels now under their corporate umbrella, and links to Virgin Media, everyone is watching what TV3 will do next.

14. Independent Radio
The success of 2fm and the impossibility of quelling the pirate radio revolution opened the door for commercial radio in Ireland. The first independent stations were licensed in 1989, giving a fresh, local voice to communities and regions. All of 28 years on, there are 68 licensed stations in the Republic, excluding hospital radio. It is, as they say, a different world – and a hugely competitive one.

13. A Fairytale that isn't
just for Christmas There’s something incongruous hearing a Christmas song outside its allotted season. But there’s one exception: The Pogues’ ‘Fairytale Of New York’ from 1987 is a work of genius. Written by Jem Finer and Shane MacGowan, and sung by Shane and Kirsty McColl, it is widely acknowledged as the greatest Christmas song of all time.

12. The Cranberries Crack the US
As if to prove that the globe-trotting success they’d had with U2 was no fluke, Island Records signed The Cranberries at the start of the ‘90s. In 1993, the band were adopted by MTV and college radio in the USA. And before you could wake up and smell the coffee, ‘Linger’, ‘Dreams’ and their debut album Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can’t We? were invading charts all over the world. The follow-up, No Need To Argue, did even better, selling a whopping 17 million copies. Another Irish music export had taken glorious flight.

11. The Saw Doctors Hit The Road
“The road” is an essential part of the rock experience, a parallel universe with its own mythology. But it took the musical genius of The Saw Doctors to immortalise the N17, the stretch of asphalt that links Galway with Tuam and beyond, for a Christmas No.1 in 1990. They haven’t looked back since.