The Irish Weather
The Irish weather is subject number one when you talk about living in Ireland. I remember that when I arrived in July last year I was always being told the same joke: “In Ireland there is a summer, last year it was on Wednesday” (1).
This joke is not really that far from reality. In Ireland there isn’t a summer as we understand it in Spain. I think it must have one of the coldest summers in Europe. If it hits 20 degrees you can consider it a very, very hot day. Last summer, a brand of beer offered free beer if it got warmer than 20 degrees.
Of course there are some warm, sunny days, and these days are just amazing. Parks are full of the Irish getting burned on the grass, and the streets are full of people running or riding bikes.
I have to say that the weather in Ireland is not so bad, especially if you are working. It rains almost every day, yes, but it rains very rarely in the mornings or evenings, which are the moments of the day when you go to work or leave the office. More over, although the summer is cold, the winter isn’t, so you have almost the same weather during the year and milder winters than many other European countries. Finally, having cold weather creates a kind of everlasting “winter-autumn culture” which is very nice to experience like spending a weekend in a rural cottage where you can play golf or do some hiking; reading a book with a hot chocolate at home or going into a dark Pub for a Guinness. These are very Irish things that you can enjoy here.
The weather in Ireland is just something you eventually get used to
(2). Of course, if the sun and the summer is really important to you, don’t ever go to live to Ireland. Otherwise, you will survive.
A friend of mine told me: “After living in Ireland for one year, I promised myself I would never complain again about being too warm”. The Irish weather had a similar effect on me. I have never been so happy to wake up to a sunny day.