Europe / Caspian / CIS
Country profile: Ireland
| Location: | Western Europe, occupying five-sixths of the island of Ireland in the North Atlantic Ocean, west of Great Britain |
| Climate: | temperate maritime; modified by North Atlantic Current; mild winters, cool summers; consistently humid; overcast about half the time |
| Terrain: | mostly level to rolling interior plain surrounded by rugged hills and low mountains; sea cliffs on west coast |
| Size: | 70280 sq. km total (Land area: 68890 sq. km Water area: 1390 sq.km) |
| Population: | 4,156,119 (July 2008 est.) |
| Languages: | English (official) is the language generally used, Irish (Gaelic or Gaeilge) (official) spoken mainly in areas located along the western seaboard |
| Government: | republic, parliamentary democracy |
| Capital city: | Dublin |
| Legal system: | based on English common law, substantially modified by indigenous concepts; judicial review of legislative acts in Supreme Court; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction |
| Currency: | euro (EUR) |
| Licensing: |
Country profile
Celtic tribes arrived on the island between 600-150 B.C. Invasions by Norsemen that began in the late 8th century were finally ended when King Brian BORU defeated the Danes in 1014. English invasions began in the 12th century and set off more than seven centuries of Anglo-Irish struggle marked by fierce rebellions and harsh repressions. A failed 1916 Easter Monday Rebellion touched off several years of guerrilla warfare that in 1921 resulted in independence from the UK for 26 southern counties; six northern (Ulster) counties remained part of the UK.
In 1949, Ireland withdrew from the British Commonwealth; it joined the European Community in 1973. Irish governments have sought the peaceful unification of Ireland and have cooperated with Britain against terrorist groups. A peace settlement for Northern Ireland is being implemented with some difficulties. In 2006, the Irish and British governments developed and began to implement the St. Andrews Agreement, building on the Good Friday Agreement approved in 1998.
Energy production and consumption
| Oil | Gas | |
| Production: | 546 million cu m (2005 est.) | |
| Consumption: | 192,000 bbl/day (2005 est.) | 3 billion cu m (2005 est.) |
| Exports: | 23,360 bbl/day (2005 est.) | |
| Imports: | 204,400 bbl/day (2005 est.) | 3 million cu m (2005 est.) |
| Reserves: | 9 billion cu m (1 January 2006 est.) | |
| Major fields: |
Ireland - recent news
| 18 Jul 24 |
Ireland: SSE granted planning permission for Richfield Solar Farm in Wexford SSE Renewables has been granted planning permission for a solar farm located on lands near its existing 18 turbine Richfield Wind Farm at Bridgetown in County Wexford. |
| 02 Jul 24 |
Ireland: Dozens of wind farms at risk from outdated planning decisions The Irish wind energy industry has warned there is a growing risk that dozens of Ireland’s wind farms will be forced to shut down before the end of the decade unless urgent changes to the planning system are introduced by the Government. This would mean the loss of approx. 20 per cent of the country’s installed wind energy capacity, make the Climate Action Plan targets essentially unachievable and increase Ireland’s reliance on energy imports. |
| 28 Jun 24 |
Ireland: Lansdowne Oil & Gas provides corporate update Lansdowne Oil & Gas has provided a corporate update following the suspension of the Company's shares from trading on AIM on 21 March 2024. |
| 20 Jun 24 |
Ireland: Simply Blue Group acquires strategic land in Whitegate for sustainable fuels project Simply Blue Group, a leading global renewable energy developer, has acquired land in Whitegate, adjacent to Ireland’s only oil refinery as part of its plans to develop a renewable energy park to produce sustainable fuels. |
| 07 Jun 24 |
Ireland: SSE submits offshore planning consent application for Arklow Bank Wind Park 2 SSE Renewables has announced it is submitting an offshore planning consent application to Ireland’s planning authority An Bord Pleanála for the offshore infrastructure required for its proposed Arklow Bank Wind Park 2 project in the Irish Sea. This is the latest and most significant milestone in the delivery of SSE’s flagship Irish offshore wind farm project, which is being developed off the coasts of Wicklow and North Wexford. |
Ireland - more news
Other countries in this region
- Afghanistan,
- Albania,
- Armenia,
- Austria,
- Azerbaijan,
- Belarus,
- Belgium,
- Bosnia and Herzegovina,
- Bulgaria,
- Croatia,
- Cyprus,
- Czech Republic,
- Denmark,
- Estonia,
- Faroe Islands,
- Finland,
- France,
- Georgia,
- Germany,
- Greece,
- Greenland,
- Hungary,
- Iceland,
- Italy,
- Kazakhstan,
- Kyrgyzstan,
- Latvia,
- Lithuania,
- Luxembourg,
- Malta,
- Moldova,
- Montenegro,
- Netherlands,
- Norway,
- Poland,
- Portugal,
- Romania,
- Russia,
- Serbia,
- Slovakia,
- Slovenia,
- Spain,
- Sweden,
- Switzerland,
- Tajikistan,
- Tatarstan,
- Turkey,
- Turkmenistan,
- Ukraine,
- United Kingdom,
- Uzbekistan
