In Ireland, 686 people clicked on the online counter which resulted in achieving 10th place out of the 36 countries who took part in Get Online Week 2011. 50% of the participants were first time clickers, 70% were women and 48% were aged over 55.

The activities were coordinated by Fast Track into Information Technology Ltd (FIT) and 59 telecentres all over Ireland made the Get Online Week a big success. These organisations were the real heroes of Get Online Week 2011 in Ireland as they enthusiastically supported the week by reaching out to local people and giving them a chance to see what getting online is all about.

Helen Mahon, Community IT Mentor of FIT, cannot praise their efforts enough: “They all turned the world upside down for one week to make sure people in their communities did not miss out on the op- portunity to get a friendly introduction to the world wide web”. The local leaders proved that community spirit is alive and well despite the recession. Even though there was no funding from the government or the EU for these local efforts it did not deter them from using all the resources they could lay their hands on to make Get Online Week not only happen in Ireland, but turn into a big success story.

Examples of activities that were organized during Get Online Week was a stand at Blanchardstown Shopping Centre and a mobile training bus in the regions of North and East Kerry called “Kerry Flyer”, used to bring Get Online Week to both larger towns and smaller communities. The Dublin City Libraries also used a Learning bus, where people could follow a six sessions cours in basic internet skills.

» Download the complete report of Get Online Week 2011 in Ireland