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Children from Kildare Place School singingfor the annual Black Santa Christmas charity. Wanderley Massafelli/Photocall Ireland

Ireland is the most charitable country in Europe

We came second in the world behind Australia and ahead of Canada.

OUT OF ALL the countries in Europe, Ireland has been named as the most charitable for the second year in a row and as the second most charitable nation in the world.

The report, published by the World Giving Index 2012, is based on three measures: giving money, volunteering time and helping a stranger.

The research reveals that 79 per cent of Irish people donate money to charity, an increase of 4 per cent on 2011 levels and 51 per cent higher than the global average.

Around 66 per cent of the Irish population helped a stranger in the previous month and 34 per cent of Irish people volunteer time each month, 16 per cent above the global average.

According to the study, Turkmenistan has the highest percentage of its population that volunteer time and Liberia came out top when it comes to helping a stranger.

Yvonne McKenna, CEO of Volunteer Ireland, said it’s in our nature:

The research highlights the remarkable generosity of spirit that continues to thrive in Ireland throughout difficult times. Connecting with people is something that is inherent to our culture in Ireland and this is reflected in the statistics.

Over 155,000 people were polled in 146 countries for the report.

Read: Anonymous donor leaves €2.5m to the Irish Cancer Society >

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35 Comments
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    Mute Padraic O' Sullivan
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    Jun 6th 2024, 3:12 PM

    So the bollards were removed in Nov 2023 by some amadan.
    Reported in January by a concerned resident, and the council couldn’t complete the complicated task of replacing the bollards, mitigating the risk at the dangerous junction 4 months after reporting , 6 months after it occurred.

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    Mute Brian M
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    Jun 6th 2024, 2:53 PM

    Poor woman. Such needless loss of life on Irish roads. We all need to take collective responsibility and cop on.

    200
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    Mute Terry Molloy
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    Jun 6th 2024, 3:00 PM

    Seriously what use are plastic bollards to protect vulnerable cyclists, poor young woman

    82
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    Mute barry williams
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    Jun 6th 2024, 3:22 PM

    @Terry Molloy: Drivers see the bollards and should take heed and slow down for cyclists or pedestrians but in this case some headcase removed them resulting needlessly in a young womans death

    162
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    Mute ItWasLikeThatWhenIGotHere
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    Jun 6th 2024, 3:30 PM

    @barry williams: The article suggests the bollards were ‘dug up’, which requires a lot of effort, and equipment, far more than simple removal.

    And time.

    There seems to be more to this than meets the eye.

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    Mute ItWasLikeThatWhenIGotHere
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    Jun 6th 2024, 4:10 PM

    @Jimmy Wallace: If those bollards were in place then the vehicle would have had to strike them – possibly causing damage to the vehicle – to also collide with the cyclist.

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    Mute Longlin
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    Jun 6th 2024, 4:58 PM

    @ItWasLikeThatWhenIGotHere: If they are like the ones I’m thinking of, they are flexible when hit and spring back upright afterwards causing no damage to any vehicle. They unfortunately can be screwed out of the ground easily and this used to happen in my local area where young lads would be messing with them at night. They are better than nothing, but no substitute for proper segregated off road cycle lanes which actually protect cyclists and encourage cycling in any countries which have them.

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    Mute AD Cahill
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    Jun 6th 2024, 5:22 PM

    @Terry Molloy: Sad reality is that some drivers are more concerned to avoid scraping their paintwork off a fixed object than to avoid a cyclist. Studies show them slowing down more for bollards than pedestrians/ cyclists

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    Mute ItWasLikeThatWhenIGotHere
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    Jun 6th 2024, 5:25 PM

    @Longlin: Thanks Longlin.

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    Mute UK Hurling Bloke
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    Jun 6th 2024, 5:37 PM

    @Terry Molloy: read what Barry said Terry – they work just understand that..far far better to have them at junctions like that than not…

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    Mute Alan Kavanagh
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    Jun 6th 2024, 3:54 PM

    Large trucks have to drive over these plastic bollards on some roads when turning.

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    Mute Padraig O'Brien
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    Jun 6th 2024, 8:28 PM

    No accountability yet again for our “public servants” who will, yet again, skip off without answering any hard questions.

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    Mute RIP
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    Jun 6th 2024, 7:28 PM

    These cycle lanes are a nightmare where Safety has not been prioritised

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    Mute John Nolan
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    Jun 6th 2024, 8:31 PM

    Please let the person who removed them get the Karma deserved

    22
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