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
| 27 Nov 25 |
Ireland: Gas Networks Ireland selects the Shannon Estuary as location for the Strategic Gas Emergency Reserve Gas Networks Ireland has selected Cahiracon, Co. Clare along the Shannon Estuary as the location for Ireland’s new Strategic Gas Emergency Reserve (SGER) The Strategic Gas Emergency Reserve is a State-led project that will provide a temporary natural gas facility that can be used in the event of a disruption to Ireland’s gas supplies. |
| 26 Nov 25 |
Ireland: Ørsted and ESB joint venture secures the provisional rights to develop the Tonn Nua site in Irish offshore wind auction The Irish Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment has provisionally awarded the joint venture, formed by ESB and Ørsted, the rights to develop the Tonn Nua site which is off the coast of County Waterford and spans 306 km2. |
| 24 Nov 25 |
UK: EnergyPathways submits Expanded Gas Storage Licence Application AIM-listed EnergyPathways, the UK energy transition company, has formally submitted an application for a Gas Storage Licence covering the natural gas and hydrogen storage elements of its flagship MESH project, located off the Cumbria coast in the East Irish Sea. |
| 20 Nov 25 |
Ireland: Nordex Group secures new order for ca. 60 MW from SSE in Ireland The Nordex Group has secured a fresh order to supply and install 12 N133/4.8 wind turbines at the Drumnahough Wind Farm in Donegal, Ireland. This project is jointly owned by joint partners SSE and FuturEnergy Ireland and will deliver a total installed capacity of ca.60 MW. |
| 11 Nov 25 |
Ireland: SSE and FuturEnergy Ireland have announced the start of pre-construction works on the 58MW Drumnahough Wind Farm in County Donegal SSE Renewables and FuturEnergy Ireland have announced the start of pre-construction works on the 58MW Drumnahough Wind Farm in County Donegal. The 58MW Donegal project will bring Ireland closer to meeting its 2030 decarbonisation targets. |
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
