Where were you? - September 11th, 2001

longshanks · 16-07-2016 11:17PM

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 · 16-07-2016 11:17PM

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 · 16-07-2016 11:17PM

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 · 16-07-2016 11:19PM

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 · 16-07-2016 11:20PM

I was at home.

monkeysnapper · 16-07-2016 11:20PM

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 · 16-07-2016 11:22PM

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

Jimbob1977 · 16-07-2016 11:24PM

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 · 16-07-2016 11:26PM

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.

16-07-2016 11:27PM

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.

16-07-2016 11:27PM

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 · 16-07-2016 11:28PM

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 · 16-07-2016 11:28PM

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 · 16-07-2016 11:29PM

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 · 16-07-2016 11:29PM

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 · 16-07-2016 11:30PM

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

jluv · 16-07-2016 11:30PM

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 · 16-07-2016 11:33PM

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 · 16-07-2016 11:33PM

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 · 16-07-2016 11:34PM

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.

Jimbob1977 · 16-07-2016 11:34PM

Fleawuss wrote: »

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?

It was many, many years before Twitter, Facebook and Smartphones. Possibly six years before Facebook.

Most of the news was spread by TV news channels, online websites, email and text messages.

Dempsey · 16-07-2016 11:34PM

bubblypop wrote: »

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?

Glad to hear your family was ok

I never said it was ok for innocent people to lose their lives. Stop with the hysterical strawman argument.

American foreign policy took innocent lives in other countries for decades. Dont see many threads on this forum about that. Maybe you should go away and think why people have been radicalising against america and their allies for that period of time. I dont agree with it at all but i can understand human nature and they should expect retaliation for their war crimes

hannible the cannible · 16-07-2016 11:35PM

I was plastering the chimney on my house , an old neighbour pulled up and shouted up to me about someone crashing into the white house (he obviously got his story wrong somewhere along the way before he met me ) , I shouted back down was he drunk ? (the white house being the local pub ) he shouted back something incoherent and drove off again leaving me none the wiser , with me thinking that some clown had a few pints too many and had crashed through the big double doors of the pub

Teyla Emmagan · 16-07-2016 11:35PM

I was in a SQL training course in town. Heard by text. Though we were all sitting at PCs they had no internet on them. It was the day of my Mam's graduation from college so I had to go out to Maynooth after. Walking through town listening to my headphones I was really afraid. Afraid it was only the start of something worse. Afraid of what the retaliation would be. Afraid something would happen here. People were like zombies on the train. No one saying anything, everyone glued to the radio. You didn't get news on your phone then. Then got to the graduation and the mood is really sombre. It was a scary scary day.

Dufflecoat Fanny · 16-07-2016 11:36PM

In the bog footing turf

blackcard · 16-07-2016 11:37PM

Was at work, driving between sites. Got a call on my mobile from a colleague. 'Turn the radio on' Tuned in to Joe Duffy. Seemed to be absolute chaos. I think at that time they were talking about 14 unaccounted for planes. Pulled in to the side of the road to listen. At that time,
work seemed to be insignificant. I thought that life as I had known it was ending.

IrishWandering · 16-07-2016 11:38PM

To add to my original story, the extent of the attacks first hit me in the early hours of the 12th. I hadn't been able to sleep and had my eyes glued to an American news station. The camera filming the reporter panned up and down the very long street she was standing on (it was somewhere in Midtown Manhattan), there was wall going along the whole length of the road and every single inch of it was covered with missing posters. I was distraught to say the least.

Looked something like this,

Pherekydes · 16-07-2016 11:39PM

Was in a classroom in St John's. One of my classmates was browsing the net (as you do when you're in class) and spotted the first incident. Because the resolution was so bad we thought it was a light a/c. At lunch we had a habit of going onto the roof of the building and looking out over the harbour and the narrows (the entrance to the harbour) and we noticed a lot of jets arriving- like one every few minutes; back then St John's had a few international arrivals per week - and then we knew sh1t was going down. After lunch our instructor, who was American, announced that this was the work of Osama bin Laden. I had never heard of him before this. (humorous side note: the instructor (female) was called Buffy and lived in Dildo

).

We spent an extra 8 days in St John's, courtesy of lovely Canadian hosts, but I was very fretful being away from my family and very worried about flying home.

They didn't have a ferry. :rolleyes:

Gunmonkey · 16-07-2016 11:39PM

On a flight from Dublin to England, going to start in college. Happened while we were in the air, so landed to a whole new world.

eviltwin · 16-07-2016 11:39PM

I was in work. A colleague who sat beside me got a call from her son that a plane had hit. We had no tv in the office so the boss sent me to Arnotts to buy a radio. I remember so vividly every tv tuned to Sky News and hordes of people around them, no one shopping or doing the normal stuff. We got no work done that day, we couldn't with a co worker in such distress. The boss told her to go home but she didn't want to be alone. We found out a few days later he'd died

Where were you? - September 11th, 2001

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