Ireland’s win over All Blacks among 2016’s happiest moments

Ireland's triumph over the All Blacks, the summer heatwave and President Michael D Higgins queuing at an ATM were among the moments which brought joy to the world - or at least to this part of it - in 2016, according to a new happiness index.

The survey from One4all also declared Christmas Eve to be the day when the largest number of Irish adults are at their happiest, with 42 per cent of respondents describing it as the happiest day of the year.

The Irish rugby team’s first-ever win over the All Blacks after 111 years was deemed to be the nation’s most joyful sporting moment of the year, with 41 per cent of those polled in the survey placing it in pole position.

The O'Donovan brothers revealing their "steak, spuds and pull like a dog" strategy to RTÉ came in second, the same position the Olympic silver medallists finished in in Rio, with the backing of 13 per cent of respondents.

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The moment Robbie Brady put the ball in the Italian net to secure the Republic's passage out of the group stages of Euro 2016 was a close third, with support from 12 per cent of respondents.

The survey, carried out among 1,352 adults, also revealed that the week-long heatwave in July was the nation’s happiest non-sporting moment of the year, with 39 per cent recalling it with glee.

The 1916 centenary celebrations at the GPO came a close second, with the backing of 31 per cent of those polled.

It seems President Michael D put a smile on quite a few people’s faces in 2016, with 14 per cent of respondents saying the photo of him queueing to use an ATM was one of their happiest non-sporting moments of the year.

Christmas cheer

The survey also indicates that Christmas cheer is a real thing, with 80 per cent of those polled saying they feel happier at Christmas than at any other time of the year.

While the big focus of the festive season is Christmas Day, Christmas Eve is actually when Irish people feel at their happiest, according to the index.

Overall, it would appear that 2016 has been a good year for Irish people, with 43 per cent of us saying we feel happier now than at this time last year.