IRISH people are having sex at least once a week, according to a new survey.

The study shows that 66pc of adults are enjoying a bit of nookie every seven days, but only half are enjoying the 'full pleasures' of the act.

It seems the country's mature ladies are leaving their younger counterparts in the shade when it comes to enjoying orgasms.

It has been revealed that women over 65 in this country are more likely to reach regular orgasms than those of any other country in the world.

And they're also more likely to climax than younger Irish women, new data has shown.

The figures released from a new Durex survey has revealed that, on the whole, Irish people have healthy sex lives.

Sixty-six percent of Irish people have sex at least once a week and 11pc have sex at least once a fortnight. A staggering 89pc of Columbians have sex at least once a week. In stark contrast, only one in four Japanese people have sex weekly.

It appears Irish people are quite generous in bed, spending almost 17 minutes on foreplay, close to the international average. Greece, Brazil and Mexico spend the longest on foreplay (over 20 minutes) while Thailand fairs worst spending a measly 11 minutes on foreplay.

Irish people are spending slightly less time than average on intercourse at just over 17 minutes, compared to Hong Kong who spend 29 minutes and Brazil, 27 minutes. However, we spend a lot longer than our nearest neighbours. People in the UK are spending only 14- and-a-half minutes having sex and people in France spend only 14.3minutes. Statistics on orgasms are the most revealing with 54pc of Irish people saying they orgasm every time they have sex. Greeks, Hungarians and Spanish are the most likely to orgasm, while people in Malaysia, South Korea and China are the least likely to orgasm. However, women are fairing a lot worse than men with only 31pc saying they climax every time, whereas 77pc of men say they climax every time.

unsatisfied

Even if they don't orgasm every time, 29pc of Irish people say they orgasm regularly and very few Irish people are going unsatisfied, with only 17pc saying they rarely orgasm. It's the mature lady who fairs best with 46pc of women over 65 climaxing regularly. For men, it's those aged 35 to 49 who are the most satisfied with 83pc enjoying regular orgasms.

Comfortingly, we ranked fourth in the world for condom use with 70pc of those surveyed saying they used one last time they had sex.

hnews@herald.ie