Google Zeitgeist: Have you found what you’re looking for in 2013?

Google today released its annual Zeitgeist which takes a look at the top trending and most popular search terms among Irish users on the Internet. It offers a unique reflection of what is occupying the hearts and minds of the Irish online.

• Paul Walker tops both Ireland’s top searches and people list for 2013
• Irish mixed martial artist Conor McGregor is the top sports personality
• Irish people most wanted to know ‘What is ‘twerking’?’
• Phil Hogan is the top trending Irish politician
• Miley Cyrus is the top trending artist

Ireland’s most popular
This year’s results show that the Irish were either searching online for the latest updates on big events or trying to be responsible citizens. With the deadline given for homeowners to indicate how they wished to pay in 2014, ‘Property tax’ was a popular search term on Google, as homeowners searched for more information.

Travel and big events also interested the Irish with ‘Ryanair’, ‘Trivago’, ‘Royal Baby’, ‘Oxegen’ and ‘Eurovision 2013’ all making it into the top ten most popular search terms of 2013.

The death of ‘Fast and Furious’ star Paul Walker, ‘Glee’ star Cory Monteith and more recently, the former president of Africa, Nelson Mandela all dominate the top trending searches for Ireland.

Trending People
Not all publicity is good publicity and this was certainly the case for some of the entrants in this year’s list of top trending people which includes: Oscar Pistorius, Nigella Lawson, and Amanda Bynes. This list is also dominated by famous people who died this year including Nelson Mandela, former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher and ‘Sopranos’ star James Gandolfini.

Closer to home Kerry teenager Donal Walsh makes the list this year. He came to national prominence when a letter he wrote appeared in a newspaper making a plea for an end to the suicide epidemic among young people and urging them to appreciate life more. Sadly, Donal lost his battle with cancer in April.

Popular TV Shows
It’s only available on Netflix and through some Digital channels, but Breaking Bad, the story of a chemistry school teacher who turns to a life of crime when he is diagnosed with inoperable lung cancer, has topped the most popular TV shows searched on Google. The Irish love affair with the Eurovision song contest continues as it appears on this list once again. Irish TV shows which appear include RTE’s highly successful crime drama Love/Hate and the Rose of Tralee memorable for its fish-kissing antics by Daithi O’Se and a marriage proposal for the New Orleans Rose.

Trending Politicians
He’s the Minister for Environment, Community and local Government so it’s hardly surprising that in a year dominated by the introduction of the property tax and water meters Phil Hogan tops the list of trending politicians this year. Mick Wallace was also trending as he too had an eventful year; he met with Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, his construction company went into receivership and he made headlines for admitting he was caught by a Garda driving while using his mobile phone.

Trending Words
New words in the Irish lexicon that weren’t around in our father’s day include:
• catfish – someone who pretends to be someone they’re not, using social media to create false identities, particularly to pursue deceptive online romances

• Twerking, as demonstrated by Miley Cyrus at the VMA awards, this search term also topped the What is….? list.

• Grumpy cat, it’s a cat that – you’ve guessed it – looks grumpy.

• Squinch, a technique employed by models where you make a squeeze and pinch movement with your eyes – apparently it makes one look more attractive.

• Dr Who fans, or ‘Whovians’ make the list as the Sci-fi TV programme celebrated its 50th anniversary this year.

Ireland 2013

Top Trending Searches
1. Paul Walker
2. Ryanair.ie
3. Cory Monteith
4. Trivago
5. Property Tax
6. Royal Baby
7. Oscar Pistorius
8. Eurovision 2013
9. Nelson Mandela
10. Oxegen 2013

Top Trending People
1. Paul Walker
2. Cory Monteith
3. Oscar Pistorius
4. Nelson Mandela
5. Margaret Thatcher
6. Nigella Lawson
7. James Gandolfini
8. Pope Francis
9. Amanda Bynes
10. Donal Walsh

Top Trending TV Shows
1. Breaking Bad
2. Game of Thrones
3. Eurovision 2013
4. Big Brother 2013
5. X Factor 2013
6. Operation Transformation 2013
7. Rose of Tralee
8. Love/Hate
9. Britain’s Got Talent
10. I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here

Top Trending sports personalities
1. Conor McGregor
2. Gareth Bale
3. Oscar Pistorius
4. Alex Ferguson
5. David Moyes
6. Niall Donoghue
7. Mesut Ozil
8. Willian
9. Thiago Alcantara
10. Wayne Rooney

Top Trending Sports Teams
1. Lions
2. Arsenal
3. Dublin GAA
4. Spurs
5. Cork City FC
6. Liverpool FC
7. Celtic FC
8. Derry City FC
9. Clare Hurling GAA team
10. Drogheda United

Top Trending Words
1. Snapchat
2. Harlem Shake
3. Catfish
4. Twerking
5. Grumpy Cat
6. Selfie
7. Photobombing
8. Squinch
9. Whovian
10. Workation

Top Trending What is…?
1. What is twerking
2. What is love
3. What is anxiety
4. What is gluten
5. What is illuminati
6. What is gout
7. What is fracking
8. What is autism
9. What is cilantro
10. What is lupus

Top Trending Cities
1. Moscow, Russia
2. Amsterdam, Netherlands
3. Prague, Czech Republic
4. Rome, Italy
5. Istanbul, Turkey
6. Venice, Italy
7. Berlin, Germany
8. Paris, France
9. Barcelona, Spain
10. London, UK

Top Trending Politicians
1. Phil Hogan
2. Enda Kenny
3. Mick Wallace
4. James Reilly
5. Leo Varadkar
6. Ruairi Quinn
7. Frances Fitzgerald
8. Michael Martin
9. Simon Coveney
10. Joan Burton

Top Trending Artists
1. Miley Cyrus
2. One Direction
3. Macklemore
4. Kodaline
5. Robin Thicke
6. Taylor Swift
7. Lorde
8. Bonnie Tyler
9. Cher
10. Katy Perry

Top Trending Movies
1. Les Misérables
2. Man of Steel
3. Django Unchained
4. World War Z
5. The Conjuring
6. The Impossible
7. Iron Man 3
8. Wreck it Ralph
9. Pacific Rim
10. Zero Dark Thirty

Top Trending Events
1. Oxegen
2. Electric Picnic
3. Longitude
4. Glastonbury
5. Flightfest
6. Rose of Tralee
7. Cork Jazz Festival
8. Ploughing Championships
9. Galway Oyster Festival
10. Wexford Opera Festival

Top Trending Gadgets
1. PS4
2. Samsung Galaxy S4
3. iPhone 5S
4. Xbox One
5. HTC One
6. Google Glass
7. iPad Air
8. Samsung Note
9. Google Nexus 5
10. Galaxy Gear

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