Internet usage in Ireland is on the upswing, with more than a third of all adults in the country accessing the Internet each day, and more than half of those users shopping online, according to the latest report from the Joint National Internet Research (JNIR), The Sunday Business Post reported.

Irish users going online do so mainly for news, travel and banking, according to the report.

The JNIR surveyed more than 10,000 people about their online habits between July 2007 and June 2008.

Yahoo.ie claimed the top search engine spot in Ireland, with 587,000 visits each week, The Sunday Business Post reported.

Currently, 18 Web sites participate in the JNIR, which showed online user numbers to irishexaminer.com grew 17 percent, and user numbers to breakingnews.ie grew 16.4 percent, the report stated, according to The Sunday Business Post.