Fireworks herald start of 2009 worldwide

SPECTACULAR fireworks and light shows heralded the start of 2009 in cities across the world, but here revellers made do with house parties and the faithful charms of the pub.

The recession was forgotten, at least for a night, as people paid out cover charges at some bars and drank in the new year. Gardaí said there were no major incidents of violent disturbances around the country as events passed off peacefully.

Pubs had already agreed a price freeze in advance of the Christmas period in a bid to entice people through the doors, while off-licences also fared well as revellers stocked up for house parties. With little in the way of large, organised events here, however, it was left to other parts of the world to lay on expansive celebrations to ring in 2009.

Up to one million people braved freezing temperatures in New York to watch the traditional dropping of a giant Waterford crystal ball in Times Square, with former American president Bill Clinton and his wife Hillary pressing the button to begin the countdown. Meanwhile, 400,000 Londoners witnessed a spectacular fireworks display around the London Eye and other points on the Thames. Two of the first cities to bring in 2009, Auckland and Sydney, also laid on massive fireworks displays, with 1.5 million people watching the action in Sydney harbour, a record crowd for what was the country’s most expensive fireworks display ever. Yet even that crowd was dwarfed by the two million people who piled onto the Copacabana beach in Rio to enjoy the new year festivities.

Many cities across the Arab world cancelled planned public celebrations because of the turmoil in the Gaza Strip. In Europe, Slovakia had special reason to celebrate the advent of 2009 as it became the 16th country to join the eurozone, an event which resulted in 100,000 people congregating in the capital city of Bratislava. Slovakia’s neighbours the Czech Republic assumed the EU presidency yesterday.

Yesterday also marked World Day of Peace, an event marked by religious services and special messages from Pope Benedict in the Vatican and by Archbishop Diarmuid Martin at an event in Dublin.

Back at home, it seems the most popular way of sending new year wishes is by text message, with Meteor claiming that 1,742,997 texts were sent by its customers in the hour after midnight. That is an increase on the 1.5m texts sent in the corresponding hour last year, and the mobile phone provider said a total of 450m texts were sent by its customers in the whole month of December.

The president of the Vintners Federation of Ireland, Val Hanley, said publicans here now had “low expectation levels” regarding trade on New Year’s Eve, but reported that more punters had come through the door of his own bar, Murtagh Rabbittes in Galway, this year than last.

Wednesday night’s excesses probably meant more than a few sore heads yesterday, proving that not all headaches need be financial.