More than a third of Irish people are now spending more than 20 hours online a week, with 95pc of homes across the country currently receiving broadband connectivity.

The research, conducted by Switcher.ie, round that a surprisingly large amount of people in Ireland are streaming music (38pc), shopping (60pc) and banking online (69pc).

The leading reasons for being online are, of course, emailing, browsing and social media use, with 58pc of those aged 55 or older taking part in the latter.

In yet more evidence that the traditional TV format is quickly shifting, over half of those surveyed claim to watch content online – naturally, the younger the user, the more likely this is, as 82pc of 16-to-24-year-olds used home internet in the last month for this activity.

Internet use in Ireland

“This research shows the huge impact that the internet is having on Irish life,” said Eoin Clarke, MD of Switcher.

“Broadband is now a necessity – as important to our quality of life as gas or electricity. The only utility contract that is more prevalent than broadband in homes in Ireland is electricity.

“Our reliance looks set to increase dramatically over the coming years as younger generations come to the fore, putting the Government under even more pressure to deliver universal broadband access across the whole country.”

Main image via Shutterstock