So how was it for you? How was the sporting year of 2005, the year when Ireland’s soccer players failed dismally to qualify for the World Cup finals and the rugby team blew their status as Grand Slam favourites big time?

As is so often the case, the year can be judged as a success or a failure by Ireland’s performances on the international stage.

At first glance the efforts of the soccer and rugby teams render the year about to end all but redundant – but only at first glance.

Scratch below the surface, look beyond the obvious and there were reasons to be cheerful and reasons to be fearful in equal measure in any review of these past 12 months. So here they are, the headline makers of 2005.

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