Reeling in the Years

1979 (3x10)

Ημερομηνία προβολής: Νοέ 12, 2002

Vietnamese 'boat people' continue to flee their country. Desperate to escape poverty and persecution, they face danger and possible death on the open sea. Ireland is one of many Western countries to accept refugees. The government sets up a resettlement programme. Despite strong U.S. support, the Shah of Iran is ousted from power. Ayatollah Khomeini returns after fourteen years in exile. Iran becomes an Islamic republic. Amid a storm of anti-American protests, Muslim militants take dozens of people hostage at the U.S. Embassy. Pope John Paul II arrives on a three-day visit to Ireland. Over one million people attend a Papal Mass in the Phoenix Park in Dublin. In Drogheda, the Pope delivers a major address. Bishop Eamonn Casey rallies a crowd of young people in Galway. The Pope also visits Clonmacnois, Knock, Maynooth and Limerick. 1979 is the worst year ever for industrial disputes in Ireland. The Army gets called in during a nationwide bus strike. A national postal strike lasts for over four months. PAYE workers demand radical changes to Ireland's tax system. They earn 67% of the national income - but pay 87% of the State's income tax. On 20 March, an estimated 200,000 people protest across Ireland. Industrial disputes cost the economy over 1,460,000 working days this year. Gay Byrne gets a surprise on the 500th 'Late Late Show'. The interviewer is interviewed by Eamonn Andrews. At Bantry Bay on 8 January, an explosion destroys the oil tanker 'Betelguese' at Whiddy Island. Fifty people die. MULLAGHMORE, CO. SLIGO 27 August: Lord Louis Mountbatten's fishing boat is blown up by the IRA. 79-year-old Lord Mountbatten dies instantly. The IRA bomb also kills 82-year-old Lady Brabourne and two teenagers. On the same day, at Warrenpoint in Co. Down, 18 British soldiers die in another IRA bomb. CAMBODIA (KAMPUCHEA): Four years ago, the fanatical Khmer Rouge took power. It was 'Year Zero' - a brutal new beginning for Cambodia. In 1979, invadin