Your fireplace could look very different this time next year thanks to new regulations

Ireland is set to ban smoky coal from fireplaces nationwide.

The ban on smoky, or bituminous, coal will be familiar to readers in Dublin — where the coal has been banned since 1990. The ban was further extended in 2013 to many more major urban areas, including Cork, Galway, Drogheda and Athlone. Here's a Department of Environment image of the areas where smoky coal has been banned up until now. According to RTÉ, Minister for the Environment Denis Naughten intends to announce that coal distributors have 12 more months to sell their stock. A nationwide ban on the coal will be in effect from 2019 onwards. The ban has been in the pipeline since 2015, when then-Minister for the Environment Alan Kelly announced the move in a bid to reduce smoke and sulphur dioxide levels. The air pollution from smoky coal is believed to cause problems for those with conditions such as asthma and cardiac problems.