It's been quite a year at home and abroad.
We've repealed laws, struggled through major weather and even been blessed by the Pope.
8thRef
Back in May, 1,429,981 people voted to repeal the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution.
The final result was declared in Dublin Castle:
WATCH: The moment the news broke at Dublin Castle #8hRef #NTFM pic.twitter.com/9od48SE6Id
— Newstalk (@NewstalkFM) May 26, 2018
Speaking after the vote Taoiseach Leo Varadkar described the decision as "Ireland's second chance to treat everyone equally".
He said: "A hundred years since women got the right to vote. Today, we as a people have spoken. And we say that we trust women and we respect women and their decisions.
"For me it is also the day when we said 'No More'.
"No more doctors telling their patients there is nothing that can be done for them in their own country.
"No more lonely journeys across the Irish Sea. No more stigma. The veil of secrecy is lifted. No more isolation. The burden of shame is gone."
President Michael D Higgins signed the bill into law in September.
A stormy year
It was a stormy referendum campaign - almost as stormy as the storms we faced this year.
In February the so-called 'Beast from the East' impacted Irish shores.
It resulted in snow and ice warnings for many parts.
And it was just days later when Storm Emma hit, in March.
Public transport was brought to a standstill for several days, with a status red snow-ice warning issued for the entire country.
People were warned to stay indoors, as panic-buying saw many shops run out of staples such as bread and milk.
Milk and bread rationed in Dublin | Image: Paul Quinn/Newstalk
Perhaps one of the most memorable events was the destruction of a Lidl store in Fortunestown, west Dublin.
A group of people used a JCB to enter and loot the shop as the worst of the weather hit.
The scene from Fortunestown Lane in Citywest, where locals have told me they're 'shocked' at what happened at a Lidl supermarket last night @NewstalkFM @TodayFMNews @98FM pic.twitter.com/TZuxj8xvX2
— Andrew Lowth (@AndrewLowth1) March 3, 2018
A new store re-opened in the area back in August.
The Pope
It was August when Pope Francis came to Ireland.
He was greeted by the Tánaiste Simon Coveney and his family at Dublin Airport before being whisked away to meet President Michael D Higgins at Áras an Uachtaráin.
After a private meeting with the Taoiseach at Dublin Castle, he made his much anticipated speech in which he said clerical child sex abuse is a "source of pain and shame" for the church.
The Pontiff got on-board the Popemobile and travelled through Dublin city centre.
Then at the Capuchin Day Centre he met with a number of homeless families - before continuing on to Croke Park, where he celebrated the Festival of Families event.
There were also protests in solidarity with survivors of clerical abuse, timed to coincide with the Papal mass.
A colourful Presidential campaign
Then in October, Irish people went to the polls to elect a President.
Ultimately, Michael D Higgins was elected to a second term in office - but it followed a colourful campaign.
One of several 'Dragon's Den' candidates, Peter Casey, sparked criticism after suggesting that Travellers should not be seen as a minority ethnicity.
During the campaign he said: "I don't believe that Travellers should be given special status," he said. "Why should they be given status over and above yourself or myself?"
"They're not Romany or whatever - they're basically people that are camping on somebody else's land.
"Imagine the poor farmer whose land that they camped on, and who'll buy the land from him?
"The neighbours in the houses all around - do you think they're sitting there going 'this is great for my property value because I've now got three dozen caravans down the road'.
"It's just wrong, and I think somebody needs to sit up and say this is nonsense."
It drew calls for Mr Casey to withdraw from the race.
But Mr Casey ended up garnering 23.25% of the vote, coming second to President Higgins' 55.81% overall.
Businessman Sean Gallagher came in third with 6.41% of the vote while Sinn Féin's Liadh Ní Riada came in fourth with 6.38%.
Senator Joan Freeman came in fifth with 5.96% while Gavin Duffy came in last with 2.18%.
Christine Blasey-Ford
Image: Erin Schaff/DPA/PA Images
It was September when the world watched as Christine Blasey-Ford gave testimony in relation to Brett Kavanaugh, Donald Trump’s nominee to the US Supreme Court.
Dr Ford, the first woman to speak out against Judge Kavanaugh, claimed he held her down and groped her during a high school party in 1982.
She said she feared for her life during the alleged incident when she was 15-years-old and he was 17.
She told senators the alleged assault 'drastically altered' her life and dismissed suggestions it could be a case of mistaken identity - telling senators she is "100%" certain Mr Kavanaugh was her alleged attacker.
“I tried to yell for help,” she said.
“When I did, Brett put his hand over my mouth to stop me from yelling.
“This is what terrified me the most and has had the most lasting impact on my life.
“It was hard for me to breathe and I thought that Brett was accidentally going to kill me."
When it was his turn to testify, judge Kavanaugh broke down as he said his reputation had been “totally and permanently destroyed” by the allegations.
Describing the allegations as a "grotesque and calculated character assassination," he said he was not even at the house party in question – although Dr Ford never specified a date for the incident.
He also said the allegations of sexual assault against him were "part of a calculated political hit."
Illustration by John Mavroudis for Time
Dr Ford's testimony was put on the cover of Time magazine along with the headline "Her Lasting Impact."
The publication said "it was clear that an unassuming psychology professor and mother of two was about to change the course of current events in real time."
"By the time the hearing ended, Ford had done more than prove herself a credible witness.
"For millions of women and men, she had replaced Kavanaugh as the protagonist in the nomination narrative.
"The hashtag #WhyIDidntReport exploded on social media, a rallying cry for those who had never gone public about their own sexual assault until then."
Belfast trial
If you go all the way back to March, the country was gripped by the Belfast rape trial.
Ireland and Ulster rugby internationals Paddy Jackson and Stuart Olding were acquitted of raping the same woman at a party in Jackson’s south Belfast home in June 2016.
On his way out of court following the verdict, Mr Jackson made a brief statement:
VIDEO: Paddy Jackson speaks to media with his solicitor after his acquittal. His barrister Brendan Kelly QC can be seen listening in the background. pic.twitter.com/pZAS7htl0t
— Frank Greaney (@FrankGreaney) March 28, 2018
The eight men and three women of the jury delivered their verdict after a total of three hours and 45 minutes consideration.
The trial lasted for nine weeks.
26-year-old Paddy Jackson had denied vaginally raping the 19-year-old woman. He was also acquitted of one count of sexual assault.
25-year-old Stuart Olding was acquitted of one count of oral rape.
Their friend Blane McIlory was acquitted of one count of exposure.
Another friend Rory Harrison was acquitted of perverting the course of justice and withholding information.
Protesters took to the streets in the days that followed for '#IBelieveHer' rallies.
Brexit
If there was one headline that dominated politics in 2018, it was Brexit.
It has been a year of ups, downs and 'who knows?' when it comes to Britain's exit from the EU.
After much talk and speculation, a draft text was agreed back in mid-November.
The British cabinet untimely agreed to the text, but took a bruising in the process with a string of resignations - most notably the UK's then-Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab.
Mr Raab said he could not support the terms proposed in the deal: "First, I believe the regulatory regime proposed for Northern Ireland presents a very real threat to the integrity of the UK.
"Second, I cannot support an indefinite backstop arrangement, where the EU holds a veto over our ability to exit.
"No democratic nation has ever signed to be bound by such an extensive regime, exposed externally without any democratic control over the laws to be applied, nor the ability to decide to exit the arrangement."
The backstop has become a major issues (yet again) - with the EU and Irish Government insisting it is needed as a fail-safe mechanism in the event of a no-deal Brexit.
British Prime Minister Theresa May has also insisted that the EU would not accept any deal that did not include a backstop preventing a return to a hard border in Ireland.
Mrs May also survived a no-confidence vote over her Conservative Party leadership - burt only by 200 votes to 117.
The vote was called amid growing discontent in Westminster on the Brexit deal, but the process hit a crisis point after Mrs May's decided to pull a planned 'meaningful vote' on the proposals in the House of Commons.
This vote is now expected in the new year.
Meanwhile, Northern Ireland's Democratic Unionist Party - which is propping up Mrs May's Westminster government - has called on her to re-negotiate the deal.
This is something Leo Varadkar has said would not be possible, given the timeframe involved.
British MP Priti Patel attending the launch of an Institute of Economic Affairs Brexit research paper in London | Image: Victoria Jones/PA Wire/PA Images
But it was Britain's former international development secretary, Priti Patel, that caused a big stir in December.
She suggested that food shortages in Ireland could be used to force a change to Britain's Brexit deal.
She was responding to leaked British government papers which claimed Ireland could face food shortages in the event of a no-deal scenario.
To this, she said: "The paper appears to show the government were well aware Ireland will face significant issues in a no deal scenario.
"Why hasn't this point been pressed home during the negations? There is still time to go back to Brussels and get a better deal".
After a major backlash from across the political spectrum, Ms Patel claimed her remarks were 'taken out of context'.
It is clear my comments on‘ No Deal’ have been taken out of context by some. We should go back to Brussels & get a better deal. There is still time. Let’s take back control of borders, laws & money.
— Priti Patel MP (@patel4witham) December 7, 2018
Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald called on her to withdraw comments, while Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said the comments showed "the sheer moral bankruptcy of the Tory Brexiteers".
Here's to another news-filled year in 2019...
