A Note On The Weather

One of the first questions I always get asked is, “Why Ireland?” which is inevitably rooted in the “bad weather” that Ireland tends to have, but the weather in Ireland is very, very similar to that of the North West – lots of rain, but fairly steady temperatures – and I have always preferred the temperate climate of the NW. There is a bit more wind here because Dublin is basically right on the coast, so it tends to be a bit chillier, but none of the below zero temperatures of the North East or the infernos of the South West.

Unfortunately, just like back home, we are having a bit of a cold snap in Dublin (it has actually snowed here a little recently, which is rare) with some pretty fierce winds (the kind of thing that could knock you over if you’re not careful). Somehow I have spent very little time walking in the rain so far, but I am sure this will change in no time.

The thing about this cold snap that really makes it hard, is the woman I am staying with just recently had some components of her heating system changed, specifically the burner. The heating systems here typically run on propane or kerosene. She had been using kerosene previously and had just filled her tank. As it turns out, kerosene thickens in cold weather. The burner she had put in was actually designed for propane and wouldn’t start with kerosene when it was in its thickened state. So…whenever it is really cold, specifically in the morning, the heat won’t come on.

This isn’t a problem when you are warm under the covers of your bed, but getting out of bed becomes an entirely different beast. Showering in a freezing cold room is also…not pleasant (I am having flashbacks to days of old on the farm and showering in a cold bathroom with a 20 mile per hour wind rushing through because of an overpowered exhaust fan needed to keep the walls from molding…). I have since been spoiled with higher than sub-arctic bathing facilities, so morning showers are not the high point of my trip at the moment.

The cold seems to be coming to a close, though, and the burner is set to be swapped out, so this will hopefully not be a long term condition of my stay.