A time not to forget legacy of Éowyn as ‘the change’ arrives

LIKE most people in the West of Ireland . . . well in fact that’s everyone . . . with an interest in the weather, I’ll admit to being taken aback somewhat at the suddenness of the change from basking in summer sunshine, to enduring moody spasms of wind and rain over the past seven days or so.

A few weeks back, I met a couple from Australia who were effusive in their enthusiasm for the rural way of life in North Galway, as they remarked at having seen very little by way of rain during their holiday stint.

It was a case of having to be the Devil’s Advocate as I had to remind them that their idyllic view of rural Galway might just be jolted somewhat if they had endured a couple of weeks of wind and rain. They were having none of it though. “Ireland is the place we want to be,” they exulted, and even a cranky old weather cynic like myself didn’t have the heart to take them on.

The change in the weather though and the mention of hurricane names like Erin and Fernand has kind of spooked me a little bit as I just drifted back to the Thursday night of January 23 last, when Storm Éowyn caused me to lose a night’s sleep, and that’s quite an unusual occurrence.

Last week too, I was given the run-of-the-mill journalistic task of putting a piece together about the upcoming tree and vegetation clearance to be undertaken by the ESB over the coming months, in preparation for the arrival of another severe weather event . . . but hopefully not for a long time yet.

I remember too, in the few days after Storm Éowyn had struck, making vain attempts to purchase a small gas stove and cooking ring, only to be met with messages outside some of the outlets normally selling such basic equipment, telling us that they were completely sold out of such devices. “No gas or no stoves,” the signs proclaimed.

Human nature being what it is, and with hardly a mention of storm in the weeks and months after Éowyn, was the purchase of the gas stove ever made, when they became readily available again at the usual outlets? The answer is of course ‘no’ but during a day of wind and rain last Thursday, I did feel  just a bit little of a memory pinch.

Pictured: LEST WE FORGET: Have we learned the lessons from Storm Éowyn.   PHOTO: JOE O’SHAUGHNESSY.