AS 2021 comes to a close the Google Year in Search results give us a snapshot of what caught the country’s attention over the past year.
Ranging from TV shows to recipes and overall searches, the list of most Googled terms reminds us of what has gone on in what can only be described as an eventful 12 months.
Sport
In a year where Covid restrictions continued, sport was one of the most popular topics that people turned to Google to find out more about.
With rescheduled sport tournaments taking place alongside annual competitions, sporting topics take the top two spots on the overall Google Year in Search list, with 'European Football Championships' the most searched trend followed by the 'Premier League'
'Christian Eriksen' took the fifth spot overall and the was most Googled person, after the Danish midfielder collapsed while playing against Finland in the Euros.
Olympic Gold medalist Kellie Harrington is the fifth most Googled person this year.
Pandemic
The term 'coronavirus' dominated the news agenda again this year, although it did drop one place overall to be the third most Googled term.
Every day, millions of people turn to Google to ask questions, and the pandemic drove even more concern for our health. 'How to register for the Covid-19 vaccine' was the most Googled question of the year.
Other Covid-19 related questions in the top trending searches included 'How to do an Antigen test', 'How to book a Covid-19 test', 'How to apply for the Covid-19 payment' and 'How to get the Covid-19 certificate'.
TV Shows
With people remaining home as a result of the pandemic and seeking ways to stay connected, it is no wonder TV shows were high up in the Google searches.
Netflix smashes 'Bridgerton' and 'Squid Game' took the top spots this year for most searched TV shows. Returning favourites such as 'Love Island' and 'Eurovision' were also big searches as they returned to our screens after a break last year.
Recipes
People seem to have also turned to cooking and baking, with recipes giving an insight into what we ate this year.
2021 saw comfort food taking over the most Googled list, with 'Pancakes', 'Waffles' and 'Shepherd's Pie' all breaking into the top ten. The summer heatwave also saw 'Iced Coffee' take over with 'How to Make an Iced Coffee' the second most popular question people asked Google this year.
What is/How to
As the Brexit transition period came to an end and the UK officially left the European Union, Irish people turned to Google to find out the implications.
'What is Article 16?' was the top what if question of the year, while political issues dominated the top ten 'What is' questions on Google this year, people still found time for those biggest questions in life like, 'What is a Verb', 'How to get rid of fruit flies' and 'How to solve a rubix cube'.
People also seemed to be more interested in political issues, with 'What is happening in Afghanistan' and 'What is an impeachment' featuring in the most searched questions also.
Losses
This year seems to have seen the passing of many well-known people and celebrities.
Peaky Blinders actor Helen McCrory, comedian Sean Lock and Girls Aloud star Sarah Harding all featured in the most Googled names of people who passed away.
Other people include Sarah Everard and Gabby Petito, whose deaths in London and America shocked millions of people around the world.
