Plot: 2006 was the year of the 'Love Ulster' riot, when a planned loyalist march down O'Connell Street led to chaos and street fighting in Dublin city centre.
Although Irish soccer manager Steve Staunton struggled in his new role, it was also a year of sporting success: Cork sprinter Derval O'Rourke won gold at the World Indoor Championships, Katie Taylor won World and European boxing titles and Bernard Dunne took the European Super bantamweight title