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
| 28 Apr 25 |
Ireland: Hope for electricity consumers as new report finds Irish onshore wind energy can treble Extensive mapping has found that Ireland can generate at least a further 6,000 MW of wind energy, in addition to what is already built or in the planning system. In a new study commissioned by Wind Energy Ireland, leading Irish planning and environmental consultancy MKO has calculated Ireland’s capacity for further onshore wind development, which is the country’s cheapest source of new electricity. |
| 10 Apr 25 |
Ireland: EirGrid announces €1 billion procurement programme for offshore electricity grid EirGrid, the operator and developer of the power system, has announced a procurement programme for over €1 billion for works related to the delivery of an offshore electricity grid for Ireland. |
| 02 Apr 25 |
Ireland: SSE granted planning permission to extend life of Richfield Wind Farm SSE has been granted planning permission by Wexford County Council to extend the operational life of its Richfield Wind Farm near Bridgetown in County Wexford for a further 20 years. |
| 09 Mar 25 |
Ireland: Consent granted for Gort Uí Rathaile Wind Farm in Ireland’s southwest SSE Renewables and co-development partner FuturEnergy Ireland have welcomed a positive planning decision by An Bord Pleanála last week to grant permission for the development of Gort Uí Rathaile Wind Farm close to the Cork/Kerry border in southwest Ireland. |
| 04 Mar 25 |
Ireland: SSE commits to delivering next generation of power at historic Tarbert site SSE Thermal, part of the integrated energy group SSE plc, has taken a final investment decision to build Tarbert Next Generation Power Station. The 300MW plant in County Kerry will run on 100% sustainable biofuels with the potential to convert to hydrogen, reflecting SSE Thermal’s commitment to supporting the electricity system in Ireland while laying the foundations for a low-carbon future. |
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
