Taoiseach Bertie Ahern represented Ireland at the funeral of Pope John Paul II in Rome. A remembrance service was held at the papal cross in the Phoenix Park, Dublin. 16 April – The annual congress of the Gaelic Athletic Association voted to allow association football and rugby to be played in Croke Park under certain circumstances. May 23 May – Five schoolgirls died and many people were injured in a collision between a school bus and two other vehicles in County Meath. June 13 June – The Irish language was granted official status as a working language within the European Union. 30 June – The M50 motorway was finally completed, 34 years after the route was first envisaged and 17 years after construction began. July 7 July – The taoiseach met Pope Benedict XVI for a private audience in Rome. 16 July – Irish student, Tara Whelan (17), and a British holidaymaker were among five people killed in the Kuşadası minibus bombing in Turkey. 28 July – The Provisional Irish Republican Army made history by ending its armed campaign and ordering all its units to dump arms. The organisation also ordered its members not to engage in any other activities. 29 July – Forty-five-year-old Limerick woman, Dolores McNamara, won €115 million in the EuroMillions rollover jackpot prize. It was Europe's largest ever lottery jackpot. September 7 September – Ireland lost 1–0 to France in a crucial soccer World Cup qualifier. 15 September – The population of Ireland reached its highest population since 1861. The increase consisted of the return of Irish people living abroad, and immigrants from Europe and Asia. 19 September – Irish Ferries offered voluntary redundancy packages to its 543 seafaring workers. 26 September – The head of the Independent International Commission on Decommissioning, General John de Chastelain, said that he is satisfied that the Irish Republican Army has completed the decommissioning of its entire arsenal of weapons. October 14 October – Roy Keane announced his retirement from international football following Ireland's failure to qualify for World Cup 2006 in Germany. 18 October – Tiede Herrema returned to the city of Limerick from which he was kidnapped 30 years ago in a high-profile case. Herrema presented his personal papers relating to the event to the University of Limerick Library. 20 October – The abducted journalist Rory Carroll was released unharmed after being kidnapped in Iraq the previous day.