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
| 22 Oct 26 |
Ireland: EirGrid launches public consultation to power up North Wicklow EirGrid, the operator and developer of Ireland’s electricity grid, is launching a public consultation on the proposed North Wicklow Reinforcement Project. |
| 19 Oct 26 |
Ireland: EirGrid completes 2026 marine and coastal survey campaign for Powering Up Offshore – South Coast EirGrid, the electricity Transmission System Operator (TSO) for Ireland, has successfully completed its 2026 marine and coastal survey campaign for the Powering Up Offshore – South Coast programme, marking another important milestone in the development of the electricity grid infrastructure needed to connect offshore renewable energy from Ireland's south coast to homes, businesses and communities. |
| 15 Oct 26 |
Ireland: Echelon to establish Ireland’s first green energy park at data centre campus in Wicklow Echelon Data Centres will establish Ireland’s first Green Energy Park at its DUB20 data centre campus in Arklow, Co Wicklow, marking a major milestone in the delivery of the Irish Government’s Large Energy Users Action Plan (LEAP). |
| 13 Oct 26 |
Ireland: Irish wind farms set new September record According to Wind Energy Ireland’s latest monthly report, Irish wind farms generated record levels of electricity in September and supplied 37 per cent of the country’s electricity demand. On the days with the most wind power, wholesale electricity prices were more than a third lower, highlighting the role wind energy plays in driving electricity costs down. |
| 10 Sep 26 |
Ireland: Solar energy generation increases nearly 60% over summer months as August sets new records New provisional data from EirGrid, the operator and developer of Ireland’s electricity grid, shows that almost one third (29%) of electricity came from renewable sources in August. Solar power made up 7.7% of the month’s fuel mix and follows records being set for the contribution of solar power this summer with a high of 9.4% in July and 8.2% in June. |
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
