2011 was a big year for news all around the world. Here are the top 10 news stories that were on IrishCentral.

1. Dublin woman to be next Secretary of State?

Samantha Power, a Dublin native, made news back in April when a New York Times profile added to speculation that she could become the next Secretary of State or National Security Advisor in the Obama administration.

Read more: Samantha Power to be the next Secretary of State?

2. Mask of Casey Anthony sells for nearly $1million on eBay

Casey Anthony made big headlines this year when she was acquitted for the murder of her toddler daughter, Caylee Anthony. A rubber mask of her likeness was deemed a “significant piece of crime history” by the seller, and fetched an impressive $999,000 on eBay.

Read more: Casey Anthony rubber mask sells for nearly $1 million on eBay

3. Occupy Dame Street organized in the wake of Occupy Wall Street

Occupy Wall Street was the biggest movement of the year, and its effect eventually spread worldwide. The Central Bank on Dame Street in Dublin became the focus of the first Irish protests, with Occupy Cork soon to follow.

Read more: Occupy Wall Street protests have now spread to Ireland - VIDEOS & PHOTOS

4. Jackie Kennedy makes claim that LBJ was behind JFK murder

Speculation has always surrounded the events of President Kennedy’s assassination, but JFK’s widow Jackie added fuel to the fire when she shared in tapes recorded just months after his death that she believed his successor Lyndon B. Johnson had a hand in the murder.

Read more: Jackie Kennedy believed LBJ had her husband killed new tape shows

5. Irish-Canadian twins share the same mind

Doctors were astounded when the rarity of conjoined twins Krista and Tatiana Hogan was further intensified with the discovery that the two girls also share a brain.

Read more: Canadian Irish conjoined twins likely share the same mind

6. Representative Gabrielle Giffords’ heartwarming love-story

Representative Gabrielle Giffords’ sustained a gunshot wound to the head earlier this year in Arizona. Her husband, astronaut Mark Kelly, proved to be a source of strength for the recovering Congresswoman, and the two make a touching American love story.

Read more: Gabrielle Giffords’ love story with husband Mark Kelly

7. US pilot photographs image of Jesus at the Cliffs of Moher

Sandra Clifford, a tourist in Ireland at the time, made big news in November when she photographed what appears to be the image of Christ at the famed site of the Cliffs of Moher in Clare.

Read more: US tourist says she captured image of Jesus on Cliffs of Moher

8. Irishman claims to have tracked UFOs

A Roscommon-based astronomer believes he has found and tracked so-called “IFOs” - Identified Flying Objects. He has since established a site in Boyle that records any strange movements in the skies to help gather evidence.

Read more: Irish astronomer says he has successfully tracked UFO’s

9. Devastating murder of Michaela Harte shocks both Ireland and abroad

In a tragedy that gripped the hearts of international readers, newlywed and Tyrone native Michaela Harte was laid to rest after being murdered in her hotel room during her honeymoon in Mauritius.

Read more: Tragic Michaela Harte buried in her wedding dress - PHOTOS

10. Irish-American fiancee of ‘Craigslist Killer’ receives sympathies

Senator Brown of Massachusetts offered his condolences for the horror Megan McAllister came to know when it was revealed that her fiancee Phillip Markoff was the ‘Craigslist Killer.’ Her story was turned into a Lifetime movie.

Read more: Senator Brown feels ‘terrible’ for Craigslist Killer’s Irish fiancée