This seismic shift in the political landscape came about just weeks after the assassination of Cumann na nGaedheal minister Kevin O'Higgins, who will be 80 years dead next July. Having entered the Dail, Dev soon won power and it was not long before he had pushed through a new constitution for the country, which is 70 years old in 2007.

Bertie Ahern, the longest-serving taoiseach after the long fella, celebrates his tenth year in power in 2007, while former taoiseach Garret FitzGerald marks the anniversaries both of his rise to the leadership of Fine Gael, which took place 30 years ago, and his resignation from that position a decade later.

As well as being the tenth anniversary of Mary McAleese moving her furniture into Aras an Uachtarain, 2007 will also mark ten years since the publication of the McCracken report into the wrongdoings of Charlie Haughey and Michael Lowry, and the resignation of disgraced foreign affairs minister Ray Burke.

Northern Ireland will mark some hugely significant anniversaries in 2007: 40 years since the founding of the Civil Rights Association; 35 since Bloody Sunday; 20 since the Enniskillen bomb; and 10 since the IRA ceasefire. It will also be 20 years since Dessie O'Hare kidnapped dentist John O'Grady, and five years since the controversial break-in at Castlereagh police station and subsequent claims of a republican spy ring operating in Stormont.

Internationally, 2007 marks the 50th anniversary of the founding of the European Economic Community in Rome, and the 300th anniversary of the Act of Union between Scotland and England. Five years ago, Britain was involving itself in a conflict in Afghanistan and urging the United Nations to invade Iraq, while 25 years ago Margaret Thatcher was locked into the Falklands War.

The Rwandan genocide, which claimed the lives of an estimated 800,000 people, erupted ten years ago next April. It will also be ten years since 1,500 people died during rioting in Albania after the country's economy collapsed, and 10 years since Timothy McVeigh was sentenced to death after being found guilty of the Oklahoma bombing.

The decision of the European Union 15 years ago to recognise Croatia and Slovenia as independent states signalled the end of Yugoslavia. While Europe grew in numbers, America grew in cultural power . . .

the opening of EuroDisney in Paris 15 years ago irritated a France that is traditionally hostile to US cultural influence, and in 1992 the first McDonalds also opened in China.

However, that year will be remembered by many Americans as the year of the LA riots, which broke out after police officers were found not guilty of assaulting Rodney King.

In sport, next year marks three anniversaries for soccer fans to dwell on . . . 40 years since Celtic won the European Cup, and five years since Roy Keane and Mick McCarthy had their infamous bust-up in Saipan.

There are also plenty of notable birthdays over the next 12 months. Golfer Nick Faldo and snooker player Steve Davis both turn 50 in 2007, while OJ Simpson will be celebrating hitting 60. Also turning 60 over the next 12 months will be author Stephen King, musician David Bowie and Northern peace activist Bernadette McAliskey.

Former SDLP leader John Hume will be 70, a milestone he shares with several Hollywood stars . . . Jack Nicholson, Dustin Hoffman, Robert Redford, Vanessa Redgrave and Jane Fonda are all leaving their 60s in 2007. Meanwhile, Cardinal Cahal Daly and Conor Cruise O'Brien will both turn 90.

The anniversaries of some notable deaths will also be marked over the next 12 months. It will be five years since the British queen mother died; 10 since Mother Teresa passed away; 20 since Andy Warhol checked out; 30 since Elvis died; 40 since Che Guevara was killed; and 50 since Humphrey Bogart smoked his last cigarette.