Anglo, Lisbon and Ryan
In 2009 Ireland confronted the full force of the economic crisis that had followed the property boom. What had initially appeared to be a sharp recession became a transformation of public life: building sites lay idle, businesses retrenched, joblessness rose rapidly and the State assumed responsibilities in banking that would shape politics for years. The Government was led by Taoiseach Brian Cowen of Fianna Fáil, in coalition with the Green Party, while Brian Lenihan Jr, Minister for Finance, became the public face of emergency financial policy. The year’s defining events were not confined to balance sheets. Ireland reconsidered its place in Europe, faced devastating evidence about abuse in Church-run institutions, and saw both the vulnerability and resilience of the Northern Ireland peace settlement.