Google has released Ireland’s Year in Search 2025, offering a snapshot of what captivated people across the country this year. From extreme weather to political drama, viral scandals and true-crime obsessions, the list is proof of the famous Irish curiosity.
The year’s most-searched term was Storm Éowyn, the record-breaking weather event that hit Ireland early in 2025. The Tolkien-inspired name sparked so much confusion that How to pronounce Éowyn ended up as the third most-searched “How to” question of the year — proving many of us Googled while the wind howled outside.
Politics dominated the national conversation, with Catherine Connolly ranking as the most-searched person in Ireland and the third most-searched term overall. She was followed by Maria Steen, who didn’t even run in the presidential election but still captured huge public interest, and Jim Gavin, the short-lived Fianna Fáil candidate whose campaign made headlines for all the wrong reasons.
Election-related questions filled the search bar too. Two of the year’s top “How to” queries were How to spoil your vote Ireland — the second-most-searched question — and How to register to vote in Ireland, which came in fifth.
Ireland’s fascination with true-crime and scandal was clear with one of the year’s biggest international names: Belle Gibson, the Australian influencer exposed for faking a terminal illness, boosted further into the spotlight by her appearance in the Netflix hit Apple Cider Vinegar. She topped the non-election “people” searches.
Closer to home, former Kilkenny hurler DJ Carey also ranked highly after being sentenced to prison for defrauding people by pretending he had cancer and needed money for treatment.
When it came to figuring out life’s mysteries, Google proved once again to be Ireland’s all-knowing agony aunt. One of the most-searched “What is” questions was the wonderfully baffling What is 6-7?, a Gen Z slang term that left many scrambling for clarity. Ahead of that was What is listeria?, driven by the food-plant outbreak in Dublin in July.
Other notable names included comedian Garron Noone, Mayo GAA star Conor Loftus, Adolescence breakout Stephen Graham, and Liverpool striker Alexander Isak, whose transfer saga kept fans refreshing their feeds. One of the biggest viral moments of the year also pushed Andy Byron onto the list, after footage of him embracing HR colleague Kristin Cabot at a Coldplay concert spread around the internet.
Sporting events were, as always, a national obsession. The Ryder Cup was Ireland’s second-most-searched overall term, thanks to Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry helping Europe retain the trophy. It was followed by the Champions League and Ireland v France in the Six Nations.
Irish rugby fans were also glued to Ireland v Scotland and the Lions series win over Australia. And in a year that proved Liverpool fans are everywhere, Liverpool FC, Liverpool v Man United, and Liverpool v PSG all landed in the top 10 sport searches. More surprisingly, India v England in cricket took seventh place, beating out the FIFA Club World Cup.
On the entertainment front, Ireland’s taste for true crime stood strong: Monster: The Ed Gein Story topped the list of most-searched TV shows, followed by Adolescence and House of Guinness. The Irish edition of The Traitors also made a strong showing at number four.
Film searches were led by the buzzy horror release Nosferatu, with 28 Years Later — helped by Irish interest in Cillian Murphy’s return — coming in second.
Google’s ranking of celebrity deaths was particularly striking this year. The most-searched was the assassination of far-right American activist Charlie Kirk, followed by the death of Ozzy Osbourne, and the tragic passing of Diogo Jota in a car crash. Other notable figures included Gene Hackman, Diane Keaton, Val Kilmer, Michelle Trachtenberg, Robert Redford, and Hulk Hogan.
And finally, Ireland’s sweet tooth made itself known. In a year when social media trends ruled the kitchen, Dubai chocolate became the nation’s second-most-searched recipe, just behind coffee. The trend was so strong that How to make Dubai chocolate cracked the top 10 “How to” queries overall.
If Google’s 2025 data tells us anything, it’s that Ireland continues to be passionate, curious, weather-obsessed — and not afraid to Google a pronunciation during a storm.
