"Science Flash for You - Ireland" Newsletter Issues

In 2022 greenhouse gas emissions grew in Ireland (22/02/2024)

In 2022 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in Ireland grew by 2% compared to the previous year, according to the recently published report on GHG emissions of all world Countries. Overall, since 2005 GHG emissions in the Country declined by 17%. Emissions from the transport sector continued to grow in 2022 (+10%).

More than 10.000 people died by cancer in 2022 in Ireland (22/02/2024)

There were more than 10.000 deaths by cancer in 2022 in Ireland, according to the estimates of cancer incidence and mortality recently published in the European Cancer Information System, managed by the JRC. For both women and men, the most common cancer causes of death were trachea, bronchus and lung cancers (about 20% for both categories).

The EU Tourism dashboard includes data for Ireland (22/02/2024)

Some 6.79 million tourists arrived in Ireland in 2022, with an occupancy rate of 33.5% and an average length of stay of 5.14 days, according to the data presented in the upgraded EU Tourism Dashboard, which offers insights on the impact and state-of-play of this industry and supports the transition to greener, more digital tourism for all territories in Europe. The share of foreign tourists in Ireland that year was 47%.

The BRIDGE project in Galway is part of the new Rural Toolkit (22/02/2024)

The BRIDGE project in Galway is included among the practical examples of the new “Rural Toolkit” of the European Commission, developed by the JRC and managed by the Agriculture and Rural Development Directorate General.

Applications for asylum increased in Ireland in 2022 (22/02/2024)

Ireland issued more than 85.000 first residence permits in 2022, the highest number over the last four years, according to the Eurostat data included in the latest edition of the JRC Atlas of Migration. The number of applications for asylum increased in 2022 to about 13.000, compared to 2.600 in 2021. On International Migrants Day, the European Commission’s Knowledge Centre on Migration and Demography has released the 2023 Atlas of Migration. The Atlas provides the latest available data on migration trends worldwide, displayed in user-friendly interactive charts and visualisations.

JRC opens its European Laboratory for Structural Assessment to Irish partners for training and capacity-building (22/02/2024)

The Trinity College of Dublin submitted a successful proposal for a training and capacity building project at the ELSA Reaction Wall. The Department of Civil, Structural and Environment Engineering participated in the training course at the JRC scientific site in Ispra, Italy, in November 2023.

The “Ripple” project in Ballina wins a New European Bauhaus Prize (08/08/2023)

The “Ripple” project In Ballina, County Mayo, won the New European Bauhaus (NEB) prize for 2023 in the category “Reconnecting with nature”. The project aims at making connections between water and climate change in town. Winners receive €30,000 each. Ripple proposes a collaborative place-based approach to climate resilient green space in towns. The team worked with a community in Ballina that had faced socio-economic challenges to see if a model of respectful support, listening and engagement could generate a positive ripple-effect.

Soils in Southern and Eastern Ireland have nitrogen surplus (08/08/2023)

In Ireland, about 80 % of agricultural areas have nitrogen levels which can produce significant environmental impacts, according to the data of the EU Soil Health Dashboard, a new tool which maps the state of soil health across Europe. The data is particularly high in Southern Ireland, as well as in Eastern Ireland, where 83% of areas are above the threshold.

The forest fires season in Ireland in 2022 was in line with previous years (08/08/2023)

The total burnt area of 3,409 hectares from 69 fires mapped in Ireland in 2022 was close to the average of the last few years, according to the data of the advance report on Forest Fires in Europe, Middle East and North Africa for 2022. As usual in Ireland, the main peak of activity was in March and April. Around 40% of the burnt area (1,352 hectares) was recorded in Natura2000 protected sites.

JRC’s data on raw materials in Ireland (08/08/2023)

The Country Report on Ireland of the JRC Raw Materials Information System (RMIS) is one of the supporting documents of the JRC’s latest research on the “Supply chain analysis and material demand forecast in strategic technologies and sectors in the EU”.

Food waste in Ireland is above the EU average (08/08/2023)

In Ireland, about 150 kilograms of food are wasted yearly per inhabitant, according to the Eurostat data used by the JRC in its recent estimates of the impact of decreasing food waste in the EU. Total food waste in Ireland was about 770.000 tonnes of fresh mass in 2020. Households and the processing and manufacturing sectors were the highest producers of food waste.

People feeling lonely in Ireland (08/08/2023)

Approximately 20% of respondents in Ireland to the JRC Pilot Project on Loneliness feel lonely most of the time or all of the time. The figure for Ireland is the highest among EU Member States. The lowest levels are observed in the Netherlands, Czech Republic, Croatia and Austria (all below 10%).

Increasing CO₂ emissions in Ireland in 2021 (03/03/2023)

In 2021, CO₂ emissions in Ireland grew by 6%, according to the data of the newly released 2022 report on CO₂ emissions of all world countries, compiled by the JRC, the International Energy Agency and the Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency.

Half of the burnt surface in Ireland in 2021 was in Muckross (03/03/2023)

The total burnt area of 3 609 hectares from 50 fires mapped in Ireland in 2021 was slightly higher than in the last three years, although this is mostly because of a very large fire of 1 799 hectares that occurred in April in the Muckross municipality in the South-West province. 61% of the burnt area was recorded in ‘Natura 2000’ protected sites, according to the mapping provided by the JRC European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS) in the Advance Report 2021 on Forest Fires in Europe, Middle East and North Africa recently released by the JRC.

Revenues decrease for the Irish fisheries sector (03/03/2023)

Estimations for 2021 and 2022 for the Irish fishing sector demonstrate an overall significant decrease in revenue and profitability. Data for 2021 indicate a deteriorating outcome with decreasing revenue (-10%) and Gross Value Added (-26%).

Number of cancer cases among men in Ireland expected to increase (03/03/2023)

The increases in both the number of new cases and the number of deaths is likely to hit men harder than women, while the gap in age difference between genders in the population is projected to narrow in the coming decades.

Over 85 year olds increasing in Ireland (03/03/2023)

The population of over 85 years of age in Ireland is expected to be of around 267 000 persons in 2050, almost three times more than in 2020, when they were 80 594, according to the Eurostat projections as illustrated in the JRC Atlas of Demography, which contains data and statistics on fertility, mortality and migration in the EU Member States.

How has Ireland’s tourism industry performed in the new EU Tourism Dashboard? (03/03/2023)

Do you want to compare the amount of greenhouse gas emissions produced by tourism in Ireland with the other EU countries? These and many other indicators related to the environmental impact, digitalisation or the socio-economic resilience of the territory are included in the new Tourism Dashboard, a recently developed tool to help policy makers at country and regional level steer policies and strategies in the tourism ecosystem.

Commissioner Gabriel and the JRC support scientific cooperation with Ukraine (29/08/2022)

A few days after the start of the Russian military aggression against Ukraine, the European Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth Mariya Gabriel issued a statement on Research reiterating her commitment to continued scientific cooperation with Ukraine.

Ireland has poor access to broadband connection, according to the JRC report on “Lonely Places” (29/08/2022)

Ireland, as well as Romania, shows poor access to broadband connection, according to “New perspectives on territorial disparities”, a new JRC report on Lonely Places in the EU. In terms of mobile broadband, the average speed of mobile connections is generally lower than fixed broadband in all coun¬tries, with only a few areas exceeding 100 Mbps average speed.

Irish teachers work with the JRC to enhance inclusive education (29/08/2022)

“Master in IC learning and Leadership” is the name of the Irish project within the JRC initiative called INNO4DIV. The Marino Institute of Education in Ireland offers the Master in Education Studies (MES), a part-time, in-service postgraduate degree. The degree is validated by the Trinity College of the University of Dublin. The MES is specifically meant for educators who wish to engage with issues of educational leadership in the context of intercultural learning amidst challenges of a diverse and globalised world.

Half of the burnt area in Ireland in 2021 was in Muckross (29/08/2022)

Last year, the total burnt area of 3,609 hectares from 50 fires mapped in Ireland was slightly higher than in the previous three years, although this is mostly because of a very large fire of 1,799 hectares that occurred in April in the Muckross municipality in the South-West province. According to the Advance Report 2021 on Forest Fires in Europe, Middle East and North Africa recently released by the JRC, 61% of the burnt area (2 209 hectares) was recorded in Natura2000 sites.

Focus on bioeconomy in Ireland (29/08/2022)

The Irish strategy for bioeconomy is included in the ‘National Policy Statement on the Bioeconomy’, which is complemented by elements of other overarching strategies such as “Project Ireland 2040” and the associated National Development Plan for the period 2018-2027. Several regional initiatives support the bioeconomy sector in Ireland, primarily via grants in the field of research, as well as in the financing of competence centres. For instance, Coillte Ireland (the publicly owned company managing Ireland’s forest areas) has regional forestry plans which outline their biomass strategies.

Westmeath and Limerick host JRC “Science meets Regions” events (29/08/2022)

Westmeath County is the lead partner of a project on green and digital transitions within the JRC initiative “Science meets Regions”. Together with Limerick and the Hungarian region of Győr-Moson-Sopron, Westmeath will host events on issues of common interest such as the future of sustainable industries, the bioeconomy, and Social Innovation in relation with the recovery from the COVID-19 Pandemic.

CO₂ and Greenhouse Gas emissions have not fallen enough in Ireland over the last 30 years (09/02/2022)

CO₂ and Greenhouse Gases emissions followed a swinging trend in Ireland over the last 30 years. Overall, figures for 2020 are similar to those for 1990, according to the 2021 edition of the JRC EDGAR report.

New JRC Urban PM2.5 Atlas shows air quality situation in Dublin (09/02/2022)

The new JRC Air Quality Atlas presents the major categories of PM2.5 emission sources –and where those sources originate - for 150 cities across Europe, including Dublin. The sector with the highest contribution to PM2.5 emissions in Dublin is industry. More than 40% of the emissions in town is produced by the city centre.

In 2020 the biggest fire in Ireland burnt state-owned forestry in Ballinamore, Co. Leitrim (09/02/2022)

In 2020, about 3.300 hectares were affected by fire in Ireland, including 300 hectares of forest land, as reported in the 21th edition of the JRC Annual Report on Forest Fires in Europe, the Middle East and North Africa.

The Irish Fishing Fleet faces uncertainty due to Brexit (09/02/2022)

In 2019, the Irish fleet recorded a gross profit. Gross Value Added, gross profit, and net profit decreased since 2018 driven by reduced value of landings. In addition to the disruption that Brexit has brought to the markets, the UK’s decision to leave the EU continued to bring uncertainty for the Irish seafood industry in 2020 with fears over loss of access to UK waters and difficulties in importing and exporting seafood to and from Ireland.

More than 27,000 new cases of cancer in Ireland in 2020, according to the European Cancer information system (09/02/2022)

In 2020 more than 14.000 new cases of cancer in the male population of Ireland were registered, while the cases among women were almost 13.000, according to the figures of the European Cancer information system (ECIS) managed by the JRC.

58% of jobs in Ireland depend on extra-EU exports (09/02/2022)

Irish companies’ exports outside the EU were worth €251 billion in 2019, and kept 1.3 million Irish workers busy, according to the new report on Trade and Jobs of the European Commission. This means that 58% of jobs in the Country depend on extra-EU exports, a very high rate compared to other EU Countries.

Ireland contributes actively to the new European Bauhaus (12/08/2021)

Orla Murphy is one of the advanced thinkers and practitioners from the world of design, academia and community action who have shared their experience to feed the New European Bauhaus, an initiative launched in January by the European Commission.

Copernicus EMS Rapid Mapping monitors flood events in several Southern counties of Ireland (12/08/2021)

On 23 February 2021 a low pressure system affected several areas in Counties Cork, Kerry and Tipperary as a consequence of flood events. The National Directorate for Fire and Emergency Management in Ireland requested the activation of the Copernicus Emergency Management Service (CEMS).

The Dublin area, Enniskerry, Kilbride and all Irish municipalities in the new JRC Atlas of Demography (12/08/2021)

The population in Ireland grew by 415.000 people over the last decade and almost reached 5 million people in 2020, according to the new Atlas of Demography recently released by the JRC. In 2003 the Irish population was 4 million.

How Ireland performs on jobs and added value in the Blue Economy (12/08/2021)

The share of the Blue Economy in the national Irish Gross Value Added is relatively low (around 1%), and has decreased by 5.4% between 2009 and 2018, according to the 2021 edition of “The EU Blue Economy Report”. In 2018, the share of ‘Blue’ jobs was 3.2% of all employment. Ireland’s Blue Economy is dominated by coastal tourism, which contributed 79.3% to jobs and 60.1% to GVA in 2018. Between 2009 and 2018, the number of jobs increased by 134% in the coastal tourism sector. However, it decreased in Marine living resources (-12.4%), Marine non-living resources (-6.2%), and maritime transport (-7.9%).

Southern region of Ireland is highlighted for its technological capabilities in the JRC report on Economic Complexity (12/08/2021)

Ireland GDP per capita is expected to grow in line with the EU27 trend, with a median Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 0.89% for 2018-2023, according to the recent JRC’s Economic Complexity analysis. At sectoral level, the diversification pattern is not expected to change significantly, with a forecast that is significantly behind the comparators in all high-complexity manufacturing sectors.

Are you a teacher? Join the JRC’s course on alternatives to animal testing in science (12/08/2021)

Education authorities in Ireland are supporting the JRC’s project which includes a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) that will be run in September on the “Three Rs” (Replacement, Reduction and Refinement of animal use in science) into secondary school curricula.

Find out more about JRC collaboration with Ireland – the new leaflet! (11/02/2021)

Especially designed to inform our partners and the public in EU Member States, the leaflets give an insight on who we are, our fields of work and potential areas for collaboration. Stories and recent examples of cooperation may be relevant for policy-makers, national, regional and local administrators but also to potential collaboration partners from research and the science-policy interface.

Ireland’s good practice to support evidence informed policymaking (11/02/2021)

Ireland actively participated in JRC's recent debates between scientists and policy makers to collectively learn more about the diverse landscape of science for policy systems across Europe.

The JRC helped Irish authorities to manage floods in Clare, Galway and Cork Counties (11/02/2021)

In 2020, Ireland has requested the support of the Copernicus Emergency Management Service (CEMS) three times for flood events in Clare, Galway and Cork Counties. The Irish National Directorate for Fire and Emergency Management triggered the Rapid Mapping service in February for mapping the spatial extent of flooding in the county of Clare where water levels of Shannon and Fergus rivers had risen due to a series of Atlantic storms.

Illegal agricultural burning diminishes in Ireland (11/02/2021)

During 2019 approximately 3,800 hectares of land was affected by fire in Ireland. The worst event took place in April in County Donegal. The recently released JRC report on Forest Fires also highlights a continued reduction in illegal agricultural burning observed during 2019 fire season.

The Irish Fishing Fleet's economic performance improves (11/02/2021)

Lower fuel costs, higher average fish prices for some species, and the impact of capacity/effort reduction were the main driving forces behind an overall improvement in the economic performance of the Irish fleet around 2018, according to the recently released JRC Annual Economic Report on the EU Fishing Fleet 2020. A support scheme was introduced in Ireland to reduce the volume of seafood entering the market which has been depressed by the COVID-19 pandemic, while at the same time keeping an adequate number of vessels fishing to maintain food supply.

Applications for asylum on the rise in Ireland (11/02/2021)

The number of first time applications for asylum has been rising in Ireland since 2016, according to the recently published JRC Atlas of Migration. There were 4,740 applications in 2019, more than double compared to 2016, when there were 2,235. More than half of the decisions on asylum applications taken by Irish authorities were positive in 2019, while three years before almost 8 out of 10 were rejected.

Fossil CO2 emissions substantially decrease in Ireland (11/02/2021)

Fossil CO2 emissions decreased by four percent in Ireland in 2019, according to the recent JRC report called EDGAR. In the power industry, emissions dropped by twelve percent compared to the previous year, while in the buildings sector the cut was three percent. Over the last 15 years, CO2 emissions in the country have fallen by 23 percent. Between 2018 and 2019, fossil CO2 emissions grew in China and India, while the sharpest decrease worldwide was registered in the European Union, with -3,8 percent.

Most Irish people believe that life is fair (10/08/2020)

Ireland is the EU country whose people have the most positive fairness perceptions. According to a recent JRC report, 79 percent of Irish people believe that life is fair, a similar rate as for Denmark and Finland.

Ireland is a leading country in the EU for Digital Entrepreneurship (10/08/2020)

For the first time, in 2020 Ireland joins the group of leading countries in Europe in terms of digitally enhanced general and systemic framework conditions for entrepreneurship, according to the Index of Digital Entrepreneurship Systems developed by the JRC. Ireland performs well on the general framework conditions of doing business, as well as for the component related to human capital and knowledge creation and dissemination. Networking and support to digital entrepreneurship in Ireland is also well above the EU average.

JRC trains Irish aviation authorities on Explosive Trace Detection (10/08/2020)

The civil aviation authority of Ireland has been cooperating with the JRC in the area of explosive trace detection (ETD) since 2018, and Irish civil aviation inspectors have attended hands-on trainings at the JRC site in Geel, Belgium. The test kit is currently used by the Irish civil aviation authority to verify the performance of ETD equipment deployed at Irish airports.

Eastern and Northern Ireland among the most affected regions in Europe by drought last Spring (10/08/2020)

Eastern and Northern Ireland are among the regions of Europe which have faced a robust dry spell, following poor rainfall during April and May, according to the last JRC European Drought Observatory, published mid-June. Ireland is one of the countries more heavily affected in North-Western Europe, together with the Netherlands, Germany and the United Kingdom. Relatively warm temperatures, even if not exceptional, were recorded in the same regions.

Ireland is the country with the highest cancer incidence in the EU (10/08/2020)

At the end of July, the 2020 estimates on the burden of cancer in the EU released by the JRC confirmed that female breast cancer is still the most commonly diagnosed cancer, followed by colorectal, prostate and lung cancer. The cancer burden is estimated to have risen to 2.7 million new cases (all types, excluding non-melanoma skin cancer) and 1.3 million deaths in 2020.

Most Irish would like to work remotely after the Covid-19 crisis is over (10/08/2020)

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, several surveys have tried to estimate how many people were working from home, following the confinement measures that restricted mobility and led to the shuttering of many workplaces. A national online survey conducted by the National University of Ireland in Galway and the Whitaker Institute on people working from home following the Covid-19 outbreak in Ireland offer interesting data.

JRC in the fight against Coronavirus (29/04/2020)

According to the JRC’s assessment on the impact of labour supply shortages, labour productivity decline and changes in demand of the economy, the COVID-19 crisis will have a more pronounced impact on smaller and more open economies like Ireland, as well as other EU Member States like the Netherlands and Portugal.

Dublin, Cork and Galway shine in JRC’s Cultural and Creative Cities Monitor (29/04/2020)

Dublin leads Irish cities in the Cultural and Creatives Cities Index and ranks 4th in the overall ranking of 40 European cities with 500,000 to 1 million inhabitants. Cork and Galway also record remarkable results, reaching 4th and 7th position respectively among the 79 cities with 50,000 to 250,000 inhabitants.

Irish people are resilient (29/04/2020)

More than 90 percent of Irish people have a positive attitude and feel happy and satisfied with life (96%), do not feel lonely (94%) and are in good or very good health (92%). A recent JRC study analysed the answers of people living in the EU who were asked to rate their ability to thrive when faced with life’s challenges.

Continuous rain delays crop sowing activities in Ireland (29/04/2020)

Last winter’s temperatures were slightly warmer than usual in Ireland. However, the most remarkable feature for the period was the persistent rain, with only a few interruptions. Rainfall was particularly abundant in February - the second wettest February recorded during the JRC MARS Bulletin’s 40-year history.

Ireland hosts most of Europe’s microalgae-producing companies (29/04/2020)

Ireland is the EU’s second highest producer of macroalgae biomass after France, and hosts the highest number of companies (17) in the sector.

Ireland’s income on par with EU average a decade after financial crisis (29/04/2020)

Ireland was one of the countries hardest hit during the ‘Great Recession’ of the late 2000s, but its overall income levels are still at or above the EU-average. This is one of the main findings of a recent JRC study on the differences in income levels within and across European countries over the past ten years.