Rings around the moon and other weather lore...

Last week nine people had to be rescued from the Devil's Ladder on Carrauntoohil. They couldn't descend, as the water which usually runs down it had frozen solid. The temperature up there was a reported minus seven degrees (here's a link with photographs in case you want to see what conditions were like for yourselves). Apart from the fact that we are asked not to travel outside of 5kms of our homes at the moment, the Kerry Mountain Rescue Team reminded people that they shouldn't be on any mountain in those conditions without winter climbing experience or the proper gear. You'd think that any ordinary mortal looking out the window any day last week would have stayed at home and left the adventures for another non-Covid day. 

Checking the forecast is one of the basic rules of hillwalking and something you should always do before heading out. Technology means that forecasts are far more accurate and localised than ever before. The current temperature is a standard feature on smartphones, as is an hour-by-hour forecast for anywhere in the world. If something more technical is to your taste, then the internet is your friend. 

Weather watching is a pursuit for many, but by no means a modern phenomenon. Mary Warde, a pupil in Creagh NS, recorded some weather lore during the Irish Folklore Commission's School's Project in 1938. As the then school principal, Liam Ó Neachtain observed, 'Everything... (in this project) was obtained by children from their parents, who in numerous instances, heard same from their own parents'. Mary noted that the signs of good weather were: 

Sunset January 8th 2021, Kellysgrove, Ballinasloe © B. Lyons

'When the swallows fly high in the air.
When the colour of the frogs darken.
When the sky is red in the evening.
When there is a ring around the moon.
When the wind comes from the north.
When the smoke goes up the chimney straight.'

Whether it was deliberate or not, signs of bad weather were more numerous:

'When the cat sits near the fire.
When there are three blue blazes in the fire.
When the swallows fly very low.
When the wind is blowing from the South.
When you see a black ring around the moon.
When you see an ass with his back to the wind.
When the seagulls come in on land.
When soot falls down the chimney .
When the ink pad softens.
A rainbow in the sky is the sign of broken weather.
When the sky is dark and cloudy.' 

(Source: https://www.duchas.ie/en/cbes/4602715/4597937/4631838?ChapterID=4602715)

Whichever means you choose to tell the weather, just make sure that you take it into account when planning your walk.