Ireland - Rain????
 

So I leave in exactly one week (Aug 27). How do you suppose the rain will hamper me? Will it rain all day? Will it be a hard rain? When is the best time to get pictures of the cliffs of Moher?

What kind of clothes should I bring? Is it windy? Raincoats, Umbrellas, etc?

Any opinion on how Ireland weather affects tourists???? Are there some hours that are better than others for sightseeing? Ex. in S. Florida the rain comes in the afternoons.

Thanks,
Andrew

The rain in Ireland is nothing like FL - which gets short tropical downpours.

In Ireland the rain ranges from mist you can hardly feel to drizzle to steady rain. Torrential rains are very rare. But it does rain - or at least mist - on many days - and will often do so all day o on and off all day.

I have never seen enough rain that it interferes with whatever I wanted to do. Just always carry a sturdy folding umbrella. I also bring a tissue weight rain jacket with hood - which is enough protection for most days.

Oh - and be sure you have 2 pairs of waterproof shoes. Sandals are useless.

<<< Ex. in S. Florida the rain comes in the afternoons. >>>

In Ireland it can come at any time of the day or night - and may last a minute or a day

Just look for Ireland climate norms on Google. You should be able to find what the rain pattern is. However, we are in an area in the US known for a lot of rainfall, and sometimes the "norm" just doesn't happen.

It did not rain a lot while we were in Ireland in our three trips (in fact, our percentage of daylight rainfall for over four weeks at various times in Ireland is unnaturally low). And we lucked out in that most of any rain came in during night storms. I do not think that is normal.

That said, we were forewarned by others that having different types of rain gear would be optimal. To that end, we had Gore-tex jackets for streetwear, biking rain gear because we were going to bike no matter what (rain pants, helmet covers, Seal-Skinz socks/gloves), umbrellas, and cheapo, $.99 rain ponchoes for daypack storage.

The rain we DID experience varied from get-up-in-the-morning all-day downpour, which was our first day ever in Ireland, to "soft rain"--more mist than rain that's quite damp.

All types can be bone chilling, and it you are doing ferry rides of any sort, you'll be more exposed to the elements. With the eventual cold in mind, even though we were travelling in summer, we had our cheapie $1.00 stretchy gloves, cheapy stocking cap, and silk underwear on hand. Even though we did not get rained upon as per normal in Ireland, I'd say we were able to use all of these items on all trips during the summer.

Hope this helps a bit. Enjoy Ireland. I'd go back there in a monsoon in an instant.

"Just look for Ireland climate norms on Google. You should be able to find what the rain pattern is."

Don't waste your time.

There is no "climate norm" in the British Isles, and foreign concepts like "rain patterns" have no meaning here.

If it's not raining in Ireland, it's probably about to. Or not. "Normal" is simply a high likelihood of rain soon. Which sometimes materialises and sometimes doesn't

Rain is rarely prolonged, or heavy. But it's usually frequent. It affects tourists too feckless to venture out in it, or too improvident to have a foldup umbrella, a foldable cagourle and decent shoes. And, of course, it gives the country a landscape infinitely more desirable than those hideous parts of the world where the poor locals have to cope with hurricanes, earthquakes, volcanoes, dangerous wildlife andskin cancer.

So, unlike less fortunate climates, sighseeing is comfortable (as long as you're not a wimp) whatever the weather.

When we were in Ireland, we were told it only rains twice a week. Once for three days and once for four days.

And I was told by a B&B hostess that the sun is always shining in Ireland, it's just that sometimes it's behind some clouds.

I travel to Ireland frequently and unless it's NOT windy, an umbrella is of little use since they blow inside out. As Flanner said, it mostly rains softly and frequently, but light layers against the cold and damp are more than enough. As for photos of the Cliffs of Moher, as long as they day isn't too cloudy, the photos will all be spectacular, even with a little digicam. Proper shoes, closed toe, are the best and since you'll be walking around, Merrills or the like will do, sandals are silly, then a light impermeable top layer and you're set.

a day or two before you leave go to www.weather.com. In the zip code/city box type in Dublin and from the drop down list choose Dublin Ireland. Then click on the 10 day forecase and it will give you the weather report for the next 10 days with the chance of percipitation. I have been watching this closely because I leave this Sunday, and next week actually looks clear for a few of the days.

Somewhere during our travels around Ireland last fall, a local told us that "the main difference in the seasons in Ireland is the temperature of the rain."

why do they call Eireland the Emerald Isle - because it is covered with green moss. Duh - it rains a lot - run between the drops and make hay when the sunshines. Carry good rain gear and enjoy it anyway.

It rains for 6% of the time on the east coast and 9% on the west. Overall you can expect some rain about 2 days in every three, most of it quite light. Here are some annual city rainfalls in inches: LA 15, Rome 23, Dublin and London 29, NYC 47,Miami 60.

As previously advised, take umbrella, waterproof jacket and shoes and don't let the rain stop you from doing whatever you want. Cliffs of Moher might be shrouded in clouds and mist -- happened to us -- just think of something else to do. That said, we made our first three trips to Ireland and never saw a raindrop. Very unpredictable. Just be prepared.

We are headed to Ireland in a few weeks, so this was of much interest to us.

flanneruk---I smiled at your use of one of my favorite words, "feckless"!

what they say in ireland is "it rains a little, a lot". that is, it's a very very misty consistant rain, but all the time.
i find that on the west coast (galway, etc...) it can be a bit worse than the east, because there is nothing blocking the storms in the north atlantic. a light windbreaker and umbrella will be fine for you i'm sure. ireland is awesome, you'll have a great trip.

It's usually a light rain but don't let anyone convince you that it doesn't sometimes pour. I had to pull off the road for about 15 minutes near Slane one day when it was raining so hard I couldn't see three feet in front of me.

The worse thing about the rain is that you might get wet. The solution to that is to pop into a pub for a bit. Dry your clothes and wet your lips:)

All this said, I got one of the worst sunburns of my adult life while meandering around Inisheer in May of '97. So plan for anything.

Thanks for everyone's responses!! This will make this packing easier knowing this!

flanner and feckless go hand in hand.

I always smile when I see questions about Ireland and rain.

A number of years ago our family took a two week vacation in August to Ireland. It rained every single day and we experienced some days of torrential downpour as well.

I still loved Ireland as a turf fire with some knitting or a good book a cup of tea and biscuit are what life is all about IMO.

My husband who is not one to sit still much but as the Irish say is also 'careful' with money turned to me on day 12 and said, "we're going home today. I've already changed the flights." I asked, "but won't you have to pay a lot extra for us to go?" Answer, "Yup, but I can't take it anymore."

Funny, if you ask him today he'd insist he had fun in Ireland;)

Go have a great time in the rain!

I loved all the descriptions of Irish weather! Jaja, funny you should mention sunburn on Inisheer. I also received an awful sunburn there in 2000!

As flanneruk said, there is no "climate norm" in Ireland. Part of the magic of Ireland, especially the West, is the changing weather. I've been to the Cliffs of Moher in bright sunshine and another time in drizzle.

One of my fondest memories is from my first trip there, during a stay at a b&b in Kenmare. I decided to walk to town from the b&b, just under a mile, and instead of taking the road, I strolled down a rock and grass "alley". The sky was overcast but no sign of rain when I started, but it began misting, which I thought was lovely and very "Irish", and then it began drizzling, and me without a hat or umbrella. As much as I hate to be wet in my clothes, I didn't hurry because I was so happy. I so enjoyed walking in that rain that, instead of buying an umbrella, I bought a bucket hat at a shop to wear back to the b&b. That first trip was over 10 years ago, and that hat is still within easy reach in case I need a moment with Ireland.

The last two days in Co Mayo have been like our recent June weather - sunny and beautiful. Hoping the weather continues for your arrival here :)

Thanks! I'm going to be divulging the location of our trip to my wife tomorrow.. Wish me luck!!

I was in Ireland for ten days in early July. I only had one day where it didn't rain at all. While some days were light rain off and on, my first two days in Killarney were HEAVY rain all day long and all evening. I expected rain in Ireland, but not that much!

On the other hand, every local I talked to pointed out that the two weeks prior to my arrival were beautiful, sunny days. Neither situation was "normal." :-d

Expect the unexpected. And expect rain. Better to expect lots of rain and get less!

We always figured any rain would be an excuse to drink, redneck6497. I think my husband was rather disappointed that our weather was good.

Have fun. I'm havin' a bit of trip envy right now.

When we were in Ireland we saw MANY rainbows.

So I'm here. My wife and I are both LOVING Ireland. The weather is beyond amazing. It has been just beautiful.

We are having amazing weather!! Glad you and the wife are enjoying it.

So the final report on the weather the week I was in Ireland .... No rain until I got in my seat on the flight back to Newark. The heavens opened up.

I will be posting a full trip report soon.