Where were you? - September 11th, 2001

IrishWandering

I'm doing a project on public reaction to 9/11 in the immediate aftermath and during the attacks and I was interested in knowing where people were on 9/11, how they found out about the events unfolding and their initial feelings.
I was personally out and about in Dublin city centre when the first plane hit the North Tower and found out pretty quickly, many people had radios on and all the televisions in every bar, shop, cafe and restuarant were tuned to the news. I felt disbelief, sadness and pure shock.
Please be respectful and only reply if you are actually interested in helping out.

Cheers!
(I probably could have found a better topic to put this post in but whatever)

I was working 6 am to 2 pm, the first plane hit shortly before I left work. Got home & found one of the lads in the house watching sky news, he told us what had happened, so we sat down.
Just thought it was an accident at first.
We saw the second one hitting live on the TV.
Was worried for 5 of my cousins, working in the WTC, and the NYPD.
Luckily, all were OK.

My uncle retired from NYPD shortly after though, he lost friends & it had a big affect on him .

FortySeven

I was asleep on the couch with the telly on. I woke up right after the first plane hit. I watched in horror as the second plane hit and roared to my flatmate to wake up. He came in and we sat watching the telly for the next two days in absolute shock.

failinis

I was pretty young, in primary school. Some teachers came into get our teacher to talk outside, then she came back in looking shocked.
I think she did say "something bad has happened in America" but thats all.
Would have arrived home by 2 or 3pm, not sure when the 2nd plane hit, but I distinctly remember seeing the second one hit, could have been a replay on the news, and the way the buildings fell like a pack of cards was shocking.
You know the view with the water towers? Thats stuck in my head for some reason.
Thankfully we had no relations in NYC.

Drumpot

I was in college in tallaght RTc. Got a text (yep back then texts were instant messages), that a plane had crashed into twin tower. I think text said it was a light aircraft. I didn't leave class but it was only after when we went into the square in tallaght did I realise how bad it was.

Everybody was watching in shop windows with TVs. It was just unbelievable. The Chinese was who was first mooted, they are being attacked by China! Nothing has ever come close to that in terms of shock by media for me!

mrsdewinter

Interesting thread, OP.
I was in work. We'd just come back from our lunch. I'd never been to NYC, and I thought I'd never even heard of the WTC (as the day went on, I remembered the 1993 attack all right) but I knew it was serious. I was so naive, though. I thought, why don't they just airlift those people off those buildings?? It never occurred to me that they would collapse.
We must have had access to a radio because I remember Joe Duffy devoting his show to the unfolding story as we kept 'working' away, but it was all very piecemeal and chaotic. When 1 guy from a different part of the building came to tell us that the Pentagon had been hit, we thought the poor man had become confused and was rambling.
A very, very odd day. Does anybody else remember footage of Brian Cowen meeting Yasser Arafat on the very same day? I'm not sure who looked more shook - the ageing terrorist-turned-statesman or FF's bright young(ish) gun slinger afraid that he'd stumbled into the most awkward photo opportunity ever.
Good luck with your project, OP.

ixoy

At home, watching it on TV. Saw the coverage after the first plane had hit. Like bubblypop said, at the time the speculation was that it was an accident. I remember them thinking it might have been a small plane where the pilot had been perhaps blinded by the sun. Nobody was thinking terrorist attack (or certainly weren't saying it) at that point but then they saw the second plane come in low and hit. The reporter went completely silent and finally said "America is under attack". Chilling moment and I spent the rest of the day watching TV.
Incidentally, I recall it took at least half an hour for RTE to bother to switch over coverage over it long after every other main station was displaying it.

MilesMorales1

I was sitting in school, and someone came in and told us. I was only 8 at the time, so I didn't get it at all. But this teacher we had, I 'hated' her and her birthday was 9/11, and she was really upset and I thought it was good she was upset. Feel like a right prick about it now.

Calibos

Tesco carpark after doing the weeks shop. Just got into the car and the radio came on. Might have been Joe Duffy or Gay Byrne talking about the first plane but them thinking it was just a Cessna or something. Saw the second plane hit live on TV when we got home.

Said to myself, "Someones going to get B52'd back to the stone Age for this!"

....and so it was.

Cortina_MK_IV

Superquinn in Walkinstown. My o/h rang me for something and then she said a plane has just flown into the WTC. In my head I was thinking a Cessna/training flight or something then got home and turned on TV and well it was all unfolding from there.

Bonzo Delaney

Was fitting out the 40ft bar in Dun Laoghire one of my house mates text me about a plane crashing into a skyscraper in New York I sent back a smart arse remark about where's Detective John mc Claine when you need him. Went to Scott's bar for lunch was gobsmacked when I seen the sky news fotage and reports there.

Two Tone

Just watching TV and eating my breakfast (yeah I know it was the afternoon) - was working evenings and starting college the next day.

Can't remember what I was watching but I changed channel during the ad break and whatever the next channel I hit was, the image was there, then the same on the next channel, same on the next channel, and so on. Soon most channels - whether news stations or not - were taken over by the footage.

Dempsey

2nd Year in college. Got home from college to hear from a housemate. We had no tv so we went to the pub to see what happened

At the time, i was happy that america got their comeuppance for their foreign policy tbh

upandcumming

I was home from school. Watched it live on Bloomberg I think.

I have family on the upper east side and they told me before of people just walking up the avenues, fifty blocks away from Ground Zero. They also said that there were queues of people looking to donate blood, but they refused most as there were few survivors to give blood to which is quite sad.

8-10

Like most I just remember watching on tv. I still have 2x 3-hour VHS tapes that I used to record the news on the day. No idea why I decided to do that but watched them back a few years later and was very chilling. 1 was BBC, 1 was RTE.

Wibbs

I had called into someone I knew at the time for an early lunch break from work and she had the telly on. She had CNN which was unusual enough at the time. Watched half arsed as they had the "plane accidentally crashes into World trade centre" spiel, then as we were both settling down for a cup of tea we watched the second plane come in and hit and were both gobsmacked. Major WTF time. So we sat and watched. I was getting worried, but she got ever more freaked out. To the point where I was more about chilling her hysteria down rather than drinking in what was happening. Then the report of the Pentagon getting hit and the towers collapsing. That got my attention.

Two Tone

8-10 wrote: »

Like most I just remember watching on tv.

Yeah, those "Where were you when x happened?" moments are usually just people doing boring, mundane stuff.
I guess that's why they're so memorable - the ultimate break from routine.

This thread is going to contain major "Oh fuq I'm getting old" stuff btw. Bet there are people reading this now who are too young to remember it!

The 15 years have gone mindbogglingly fast.

Spanish Eyes

Sad story.

My lovely Dad died on April 11th 2001 . Mum very ill too at the same time.

So it took us a long time to sort out his stuff. And TBH no one wanted to do it for ages, but it had to be done. So Me, Sis, and Bro got together in the home place and started very early that morning of Sep 11th. Lots of tears and snots and memories, as you do.

And then we had a break for tea and chocolate and turned on the TV.

I will never forget it. EVER. When the Pentagon was targeted I thought the whole world was a goner.

We still talk about that day. Even now.

Needless to say, Dad's stuff was parked for a while. The lovely man will understand.

blackcard

Dempsey wrote: »

2nd Year in college. Got home from college to hear from a housemate. We had no tv so we went to the pub to see what happened

At the time, i was happy that america got their comeuppance for their foreign policy tbh

One of the worst posts I have ever seen

Stigura

I remember very well. I was in my living room, alone. Phone rang ~ yes; A Real phone. With a dial. It went, " Ring, Ring ....! ".

I picked it up to hear my brother screaming; " Stigura! Turn ye telly on, Now! A plane's just flown into the World Trade Centre!!! "

I flicked the TV on and, as my mind just tried to sort out what I was looking at. A recording of the event ....? I heard him screaming; " Fcuking hell!!! Another One!!!!! " It seems I wasn't watching a recording. I was watching the second plane hit the other tower.

That's my honest recollection of it, anyway.

How did I Feel? Not a lot, frankly. Terrorism had come to USA. * Shrug *.

Let me put that into context for ye: Some years before, I'd been talking to a septic, in a chat room. The Troubles had come up and he'd basically told me that we should suck it up. Few bombs going off? Heh! How about 'Naam?

I managed to keep my cool and evenly pointed out that America had Never ~ yet ~ experienced terrorism. But, it would. And it wouldn't know then what had fcuking hit it!

I was just watching my prophesy unfolding. Remembering that guys attitude. I was than ~ and am now ~ unfazed.

Mongfinder General

blackcard wrote: »

One of the worst posts I have ever seen

Don't bite. There's always one prick looking for a reaction.

IrishWandering

Dempsey wrote: »

2nd Year in college. Got home from college to hear from a housemate. We had no tv so we went to the pub to see what happened

At the time, i was happy that america got their comeuppance for their foreign policy tbh

Can't say that I support the foreign policy of the United States but thousands of innocent people didn't deserve to die because of the stupid actions of their government in the Middle East.

alchemist33

Dempsey wrote: »

2nd Year in college. Got home from college to hear from a housemate. We had no tv so we went to the pub to see what happened

At the time, i was happy that america got their comeuppance for their foreign policy tbh

Did you fire your AK47 in the air too?

Two Tone

IrishWandering wrote: »

Can't say that I support the foreign policy of the United States but thousands of innocent people didn't deserve to die because of the stupid actions of their government in the Middle East.

Exactly. Those people were not "America" the government.

Maybe Dempsey thinks differently now though in fairness.

Dempsey

blackcard wrote: »

One of the worst posts I have ever seen

I wont be apologising for it.

Alot of terrorism in the world today is a reaction to american foreign policy. A policy that has also cost innocent lives.

To the other poster, I do think differently about that. My reaction would be different but the above applied then and even moreso now

Your Face

I was working.
I remember some people getting emotional as they were watching it unfold.
It was surreal and it didnt make sense.

Two Tone

Two Tone wrote: »

Exactly. Those people were not "America" the government.

Maybe Dempsey thinks differently now though in fairness.

Dempsey wrote: »

I wont be apologising for it.

Actually no, sorry.

Fleawuss

At work. Someone came in and said that a plane had flown into the world trade centre. I said "Moslems". I remember the funny looks! I also remember the genuine fear that W was going to nuke somewhere in retaliation. The net was alive with sympathy: can't remember how.... Was this before Facebook and Twitter? Must have been Messenger or IRC?

Rattlehead_ie

Celebrating my 18th birthday and first day in college. Was already in the pub pretty drunk.

Lyaiera

I was in my Leaving Cert history class. The teacher got a text message, looked to us and said, "History has just happened. The world is gonna change forever." Then I headed into town and caught it on the TVs in shops.

KingBrian2

I was coming out of secondary school after PE I met up with my Mam as we occasionally took the bus home together back then. She told me the Pentagon was attacked in America and something about a another war or something like that. I had difficulty knowing what the Pentagon was. Then I came in and switched on the TV and the rest is history learnt all about the attack and of course President Bush would give his state of Union address and was talking about the Nation under attack. That's what I remember.

longshanks

In a hostel in a town a couple of hours from Melbourne. We all worked in tree and flower nurseries during the day, and because there wasn't a lot to do got drunk and stoned at night. Because of the time difference we watched most of what happened after the first plane hit live.

matchthis

On Dawson street watching it unfold on a TV in the window of Davy stockbrokers. Next thing I remember from that day is getting home and my now wife was just after hearing her godmother or family who lives in queens was not in Manhattan. Surreal moment when they came down. Wife was there the year before and got pics at the top of the towers. The two of us went over the January after. Would've lovin to see them

Cortina_MK_IV

Dempsey wrote: »

2nd Year in college. Got home from college to hear from a housemate. We had no tv so we went to the pub to see what happened

At the time, i was happy that america got their comeuppance for their foreign policy tbh

Including the victims from about 90 other countries eh?

Utah

Walked out of a repeat exam in the mansion house, Dawson St. I had a couple of texts from people asking had I seen. I hadn't. Spent the evening in front of the TV

Mickey H

I was at home.

monkeysnapper

Out skirts of newyork visiting my sister . got stuck there for another week as I was due to come home the Friday after attacks .

Went to ground zero on Saturday morning and there was still smoke all around place and dust .I've photos somewhere.
I took a lovely panoramic photo of Manhattan on Saturday before it happened , little did I know it would be changed forever a few days later.

Oscar Bravo

Just got my exam results. it was crazy to see the second plane been flown into the side of the building

Jimbob1977

I discovered the news seven hours after the event.

At the time, I was Inter-Railing in Austria with my girlfriend.

Mobile phone calls and text messaging, whilst abroad, were relatively primitive and expensive in 2001. I had no missed calls or text messages, so it was just a regular evening.

Unknowing, I went to a phonebox in the town of St. Johann im Tirol to ring my Dad about the Champions League results that particular night.

He said that all the matches had been postponed because two planes hit the World Trade Centre.

Confused, I said that sounded bizarre and clumsy. Was it foggy or something? Why didn't Air Traffic Control tell the pilots they were too close to the World Trade Centre?

'No'. He replied. 'They were flown into the World Trade Centre'.

When I got back to the guesthouse, I flicked on CNN. The towers had fallen a few hours previously.

For the thirtysomething generation, it was our 'JFK' moment.

My boss in Dublin had been speaking to a client in the WTC on the previous day. Now the client and hundreds of workmates were dead.

Notsomindful

It was the day of my debs ball. I was in 6th year of school(friends didn't do transition year so did.debs with them)

Was sitting in my nans kitchen watching Oprah before going up to get hair and makeup done.
Breaking news on rte.
Saw second tower being hit.

My hairdresser didnt believe me when I told her what had happened.

At about 4am on September 11 I was looking at the Twin Towers while driving across a bridge (George Washington Bridge?) on the way back from Maryland to Danbury. Was absolutely wrecked tired and starving as I had to rush back to leave for Ireland on 11th.

At 9am or whatever time it was I was fast asleep in the leaba; I was awoken in time to stumble into the tv room to see the second plane. Finally flew out 4 days late in chaotic, military occupation-type scenes in JFK with traffic, bad tempers and incredible anger everywhere. Guns everywhere, too. Everywhere. I received compensation to cover expenses about 8 months later. Remember trying to contact my family across New York and couldn't as the lines were continuously down/engaged.

Dempsey

Dempsey wrote: »

I wont be apologising for it.

Alot of terrorism in the world today is a reaction to american foreign policy. A policy that has also cost innocent lives.

To the other poster, I do think differently about that. My reaction would be different but the above applied then and even moreso now

My cousin was at work in the WTC in 1993, when it was bombed. Thankfully he was OK.
I had 4 relations working in the NYPD & 2 in the WTC on 9/11, none of whom were killed thank God.

All innocent people doing their jobs.
Do you really think it's OK for innocent people to loose their lives?

rainbowtrout

It was my first day in my first teaching job out of college (still in the same job). Had gone to school to collect timetable etc, heard the news on the radio on the way home, and it didn't fully register, probably because there wasn't an awful lot of information at the time, the first plane had just hit. Turned on tv when I got to the house and spent the rest of the day watching it.

Rang my mother shortly after turning on the news, and she was all excited and asking how my first day in the new job was and I was like 'grand, turn on the news' Just sat there like a goldfish when the towers collapsed.

mullyboyee

I was playing a Gaelic football match with the primary school when it happened. I remember arriving home after the first plane had hit and my sister was watching sky news on the tv.

She had only recently come home from living in New York for a good while.

Penny Tration

Walking home from school and in the shopping centre we walked through to get home, the radio had the news on.


I didn't grasp how serious it was. Went home, my mam didn't have the tv on or anything, I told her what happened and she freaked out and switched on the news.

Padster90s

I was at school (national school) so it was only unfolding as I came home, I remember everyone being glued to the TV and I was pissed off that all of our 5 stations had the news on. Didn't really grasp how bad it was until the next day when our teacher explained what had actually happened. I remember we had a day off school the following week as a mark of respect.

padd b1975

Doing the water supplies to a concrete plant which was being built exclusively for the Dublin Port Tunnel.

jluv

I had just moved back from NY to live in Ireland after 16 years 3 weeks previous to this. I was in my mothers garden when my brother came out to say a plane had crashed and like others I just thought it was a small plane that had gone off course and crashed. No panic and just wandered in to see what happened when the second plane hit. Cue hours and days of checking to ensure all family and friends were safe as many would have worked in the area. Thankfully they were all ok but 5 kids in my sons class from the previous year had lost their fathers. Speaking to friends, they said the next few weeks were spent pulling to the side of streets to allow funerals to pass. Heartbreaking..
Not as serious I know,but a few I know did lose jobs as a result also.
I remember being glued to the TV for the next few days as I just found it so unbelievable. Hearing all the stories of the people on the planes and the amazing people who worked at ground zero. And later hearing of how their lives were devastatingly effected also.

Armchair Andy

I was deep down in an oil rig on an shutdown terminating a process panel in the hook of Holland. First I knew of any terrorist attack was that evening when I got back to the digs to English CNN on the box.

Gunslinger92

I was in primary school and remember coming home and watching it on tv. It was a scorcher of a day, I remember that.

Mince Pie

Was living in an apartment on Leeson St and had just gotten back from the shop buying a newspaper and some milk. Weird that I remember that so clearly. I was on a day off work. So was just gonna sit and do the crossword with a cuppa.
Put on the telly and news was on with the first plane after hitting. Remember sitting there thinking jaysis that's just mental. Then watched as the second one hit live.

Then it hit. This is not normal.

Speculation on the news channels then came hurtling through. I'd never even heard of Osama Bin Laden.
Then Pentagon happened. Some friends called round. Had to ask them to leave cos I ended up having a bit of a panic attack thinking we're all f*cked! Never been so afraid. What would the repercusions be considering George Dubya was in charge at the time.
I still get those chills when I see footage.
The world changed that day.