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Insurance

2016 in Review

2016 has been an excellent year for Paddy Compare. We have helped thousands of Irish customers save money on their insurance and we are working with more brokers than ever, all of whom are growing their customer base daily.

2016 was an interesting year for Ireland in General – here’s a quick summary:

January

Storm Desmond and Storm Frank battered the country over Christmas and the New Year, damaging homes, farms and businesses. The Cabinet agreed to replace fodder at the market rate, and also promised €10m for Local Authorities to aid with the clean-up operation.

February

The 2016 election takes place. Over 3.22 million people are eligible to vote. More than 550 candidates contest for 157 Dáil seats and 65.1% of the people turn out to vote.

March

Tens of thousands of people turn out in Dublin on Easter Sunday for the official State commemoration to celebrate 100 years since the Easter Rising – the largest public spectacle in the history of the State.

April

Forms arrive in the post for the 2016 census. Preliminary results indicated that the population grew by 3.7% in 2016, to 4.76m.

May

Enda Kenny is elected Taoiseach on May 6th, 70 days after the general election.

June

The Republic of Ireland face Sweden in their first match of the 2016 UEFA European Championships. The game ends in a 1-1 draw but unfortunately that wasn’t enough to see Ireland progress to the knock-out stages.

July

Twenty-two members of a Dublin Bus syndicate win the EuroMillions jackpot – €1,083,866.36 each.

August

The O’Donovan brothers from Cork become internet sensations as they win silver medals in the lightweight men’s double sculls at the Rio Olympics. The pair, who train at Skibbereen Rowing Club “pulled like a dog” to come in second, just behind the French winners.

September

41-year-old mother of two, Caitríona Lucas, attached to the Doolin Coast Guard unit was on board Kilkee Coast Guard’s rigid inflatable boat (RIB) during a search for missing Clare teacher David McMahon. Caitríona lost her life when the lifeboat capsized in rough seas on September 12th.

October

Munster Rugby players and fans are devastated by the sudden death of head coach, Anthony Foley. Anthony was just 42 and died overnight in Paris on 16th October and was described as one of Munster’s ‘all time greats’.

November

Worldwide news is swamped with the shock US Election result, as Donald Trump defeats Hilary Clinton. In Ireland, almost 60% of secondary schools close as members of the Association of Secondary School Teachers in Ireland pull out of the supervision of students during break times.

December

The cabinet proposes to limit landlords to increasing rent in Dublin and Cork by 4% each year over the next 3 years. In an attempt to reduce homelessness, Minister for Housing Simon Coveney is to announce a series of measures targeting the private rental sector.

2017?

2016 has been an interesting year, how will 2017 fare?

Happy New Year to all customers, from the staff at Paddy Compare!