Rowers, passports and Irish grannies: The most googled Irish things in Britain in 2016
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Rowers, passports and Irish grannies: The most googled Irish things in Britain in 2016

The most searched for Irish terms in Britain over the last 12 months have been revealed. 

According to Google Trends, the Olympic rowing brothers Gary and Paul O'Donovan topped the list, but the concentration for the Irish in Britain was on Irish citizenship, passports and the 'granny' rule in the wake of Brexit.

From rowers to passports and the Irish election, here's the most searched for Irish terms on Google for 2016...

Irish rowers

Not only did Gary and Paul O'Donovan take silver in the Olympics, they also stole the attention as they were the top Irish Googled term in Britain for 2016.

Rio 2016 Olympic Games Day 7, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 12/8/2016 Rowing - Men's Lightweight Double Sculls Final Ireland's Gary and Paul O'Donovan celebrate winning a silver medal Mandatory Credit ©INPHO/Morgan Treacy Ireland's Gary and Paul O'Donovan celebrate winning a silver medal. (Picture: INPHO/Morgan Treacy)

...and their interview

A big part in their popularity was this interview with RTÉ which went viral around the world.

Watch the clip below...

The Irish election

The third most searched Irish term in Britain was about the General Election, which took place earlier this year.

The 31st Dáil was dissolved by President Michael D. Higgins on February 3, at the request of Taoiseach Enda Kenny.

The new cabinet, as below, was sworn in in May.

06/05/2016. New Cabinet General Election 2016. President of Ireland Micheal D Higgins with Fine Gael leader and newly elected Taoiseach Enda Kenny and the new cabinet after getting their Seals Of Office at Aras an Uachtarain. Photo:Sam Boal /RollingNews.ie New Cabinet General Election 2016. President of Ireland Micheal D Higgins with Fine Gael leader and newly elected Taoiseach Enda Kenny and the new cabinet after getting their Seals Of Office at Aras an Uachtarain. (Picture: Sam Boal /RollingNews.ie)

The Irish Open 2016

The Irish Open was number four on the list of the Googled Irish terms this year.

Northern Irish golfer Rory McIlroy won the 2016 Irish Open after a close battle with Scotland’s Russell Knox at the K-Club in Kildare and donated his €666,000 prize money to charity.

XXX McIlroy is presented with The Irish Open Trophy by Colm McLoughlin of Dubai Duty Free (Picture: ©INPHO/Donall Farmer)

Irish citizenship, passports and the granny rule 

xxx People were keen to get their hands on an Irish passport. (Picture: Getty images)

Applications for dual British and Irish citizenship surged in the wake of Britain’s vote to leave the European Union on June 23.

By November this year, a record 700,000 Irish passport applications had been received across Britain and Northern Ireland.

People in Britain were also searching for 'Irish grandparent' as applications for dual Irish citizenship currently require having at least one grandparent born in the country.

The Irish lottery

Lucky punters were Googling the Irish lottery throughout 2016, with one person winning big in Scotland and didn't collect it. 

3d rendering of lottery balls 3d rendering of lottery balls

Enda Kenny

An Taoiseach Enda Kenny also featured in the top Irish Googled terms in Britain.

(Credit ©INPHO/Morgan Treacy) Taoiseach Enda Kenny. (Credit ©INPHO/Morgan Treacy)

Irish boxers 

While it's unclear whether Katie Taylor turning professional or Michael Conlan's controversial loss at Rio prompted people in Britain to search for 'Irish boxer', it's safe to say it's been a big year for Irish boxing.

A devastated Michael Conlan stands in the middle of the ring after the fight (Photo ©INPHO/Dan Sheridan A devastated Michael Conlan stands in the middle of the ring after the fight (Photo ©INPHO/Dan Sheridan