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
| 12 Jun 25 |
Ireland: Lansdowne Oil & Gas announces audited results for Y/E 31 December 2023 Lansdowne Oil & Gas has announced its audited results, for the year ended 31 December 2023. Trading in the Company's shares has been suspended since March 2024 and work has continued to progress on a planned Reverse Take Over with a view to seeking re-admission to trading on AIM. |
| 28 May 25 |
Ireland: Major milestones reached as State continues to plan for its long-term offshore renewable energy future The Minister for Climate, Environment and Energy, Darragh O’Brien, has announced the publication of the Future Framework 2025 Review, which highlights significant milestones in Ireland’s journey towards becoming a global leader in offshore renewable energy (ORE). |
| 15 May 25 |
Ireland: HitecVision and Reinova Partners launch new Irish renewable energy platform with acquisition of wind portfolio from Greencoat Renewables HitecVision, a leading European energy investor, and Reinova Partners, a newly established energy transition investment firm, have announced the establishment of a new Irish onshore renewables platform. Lirion Power launches with the signing of an agreement to acquire a portfolio of six operating windfarms totaling 166 MW (net 116 MW) from Greencoat Renewables. |
| 08 May 25 |
Ireland: CPH2 completes Site Acceptance Tests in Belfast CPH2 has successfully completed the third and final level of the Site Acceptance Tests ('SAT') for its MFE110 electrolyser at Northern Ireland Water’s site in Belfast. This achievement signifies a major step forward in the company’s growth, with the first scaled MFE electrolyser now operational on a customer site. |
| 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. |
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
