With the release of a list of Ireland's top searches over the past 20 years, Google is celebrating 20 years in Ireland. Unsurprisingly, weather queries dominate the list.

The Special Olympics were held in Ireland in 2003, the Spire on O'Connell Street was finally finished, and Google launched their first headquarters in Dublin with just five staff members.

Sadly, the weather has been unfavourable this summer, with Met Éireann reporting the wettest July on record.

However, searches in 2018 were concentrated on the summer's warmth.


These were the top five:

1: How long is the heat wave expected to last?

2: How long will the heat wave last?

3: Heatwave memes

4: Heatwave in Met Eireann

5: Ireland’s heatwave


Ireland searches for the Olympics more than any other country in 2012, playing sports another well-liked topic. The most often asked question was “When is Katie Taylor fighting in the Olympics.”

Grand Slam became the most popular search term in March following Ireland's historic Grand Slam victory in 2009.

Insight into “what the country was searching for answers for over the last 20 years” may be gained by looking back at the most frequently asked “How To” and “What is” inquiries since 2003.

Because ‘How to make pancakes’ frequently ranks at the top of trending searches, Ireland's fondness for pancakes is undeniable. The most popular search in 2014 was "How to make loom bands," while in 2015, individuals looked up “How to use new Snapchat.”

What is the Lisbon Treaty was the most often searched “What is” phrase in 2008, while what is blasphemy was the most frequently searched "What is" term 10 years later in 2018.

Some of the 'definition' searches conducted throughout the past 20 years provide an understanding of the era's cultural highlights. Twerk came in first place in 2013, “despacito” came in second, and “impeachment" came in first place in Ireland in 2019, the year that Donald Trump's impeachment process got underway.