In Google’s Zeitgeist listing of the most trending search terms it turns out most Irish people were balancing a curiosity about ‘twerking’ with how to be compliant citizens and pay the dreaded property tax.
The results show that the recent death of Fast and Furious star Paul Walker unleashed a torrent of search activity, and the death of South Africa’s former president Nelson Mandela dominated top trending searches.
The theme of death was also made popular in terms of searches for former UK prime minister Margaret Thatcher, as well as Sopranos star James Gandolfini.
Kerry teenager Donal Walsh also topped searches after he came to national prominence pleading for the end of the suicide epidemic among young people, before losing his own battle with cancer in April.
But there was also the theme of birth, too, with the birth of “Royal Baby” Prince George in July of this year.
Environment Minister Phil Hogan dominated the search trends this year for his role in spearheading property tax and the installation of water meters.
Another politician topped the searches for his actions during the year. Independent TD Mick Wallace’s meeting with WikiLeaks editor Julian Assange, his construction company went into receivership, and he made headlines for admitting he was caught by gardaí while driving and using his mobile phone.
“Twerking” as made famous by pop stars Miley Cyrus with Robin Thicke at the VMA Awards topped the “what is” list, displacing “love” for the first time.
New words that have entered the lexicon of search for the Irish include “catfish” – a being who pretends to be someone they are not to pursue deceptive online romances and “Grumpy Cat” also topped the search list.
Not surprisingly, Breaking Bad was the top searched TV show on Google while Love/Hate and the Rose of Tralee also proved very popular search terms.
Google Zeitgeist lists for Ireland in 2013
Top Trending Searches
- Paul Walker
- Ryanair.ie
- Cory Monteith
- Trivago
- Property Tax
- Royal Baby
- Oscar Pistorius
- Eurovision 2013
- Nelson Mandela
- Oxegen 2013
Top Trending People
- Paul Walker
- Cory Monteith
- Oscar Pistorius
- Nelson Mandela
- Margaret Thatcher
- Nigella Lawson
- James Gandolfini
- Pope Francis
- Amanda Bynes
- Donal Walsh
Top Trending TV Shows
- Breaking Bad
- Game of Thrones
- Eurovision 2013
- Big Brother 2013
- X Factor 2013
- Operation Transformation 2013
- Rose of Tralee
- Love/Hate
- Britain’s Got Talent
- I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here
Top Trending sports personalities
- Conor McGregor
- Gareth Bale
- Oscar Pistorius
- Alex Ferguson
- David Moyes
- Niall Donoghue
- Mesut Ozil
- Willian
- Thiago Alcantara
- Wayne Rooney
Top Trending Sports Teams
- Lions
- Arsenal
- Dublin GAA
- Spurs
- Cork City FC
- Liverpool FC
- Celtic FC
- Derry City FC
- Clare Hurling GAA team
- Drogheda United
Top Trending Words
- Snapchat
- Harlem Shake
- Catfish
- Twerking
- Grumpy Cat
- Selfie
- Photobombing
- Squinch
- Whovian
- Workation
Top Trending What is…?
- What is twerking
- What is love
- What is anxiety
- What is gluten
- What is illuminati
- What is gout
- What is fracking
- What is autism
- What is cilantro
- What is lupus
Top Trending Cities
- Moscow, Russia
- Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Prague, Czech Republic
- Rome, Italy
- Istanbul, Turkey
- Venice, Italy
- Berlin, Germany
- Paris, France
- Barcelona, Spain
- London, UK
Top Trending Politicians
- Phil Hogan
- Enda Kenny
- Mick Wallace
- James Reilly
- Leo Varadkar
- Ruairi Quinn
- Frances Fitzgerald
- Michael Martin
- Simon Coveney
- Joan Burton
Top Trending Artists
- Miley Cyrus
- One Direction
- Macklemore
- Kodaline
- Robin Thicke
- Taylor Swift
- Lorde
- Bonnie Tyler
- Cher
- Katy Perry
Top Trending Movies
- Les Misérables
- Man of Steel
- Django Unchained
- World War Z
- The Conjuring
- The Impossible
- Iron Man 3
- Wreck it Ralph
- Pacific Rim
- Zero Dark Thirty
Top Trending Events
- Oxegen
- Electric Picnic
- Longitude
- Glastonbury
- Flightfest
- Rose of Tralee
- Cork Jazz Festival
- Ploughing Championships
- Galway Oyster Festival
- Wexford Opera Festival
Top Trending Gadgets
- PS4
- Samsung Galaxy S4
- iPhone 5S
- Xbox One
- HTC One
- Google Glass
- iPad Air
- Samsung Note
- Google Nexus 5
- Galaxy Gear
