As an island nation on the edge of the Atlantic Ocean, it's no surprise that Ireland is susceptible to areas of low pressure that bring, well let's be simplistic about it, bad weather.
The arrival of either a deluge or gusty winds form part of the national conversation, more often delivered in downbeat tones. High pressure, again not to complicate things, brings us settled weather. No rain or wind to speak about. But the high does not visit our shores as regularly as the low.
The prevailing wind in Ireland is a south-westerly and in that flow comes bands of rain or showers, often accompanied by a strong south-westerly. That was very much the case on 24 January this year, when Storm Éowyn caused widespread damage and power outages. Those of a certain generation will remember Hurricane Debbie in 1961, a significant event, where 16 deaths were reported across the island.
And while extreme events like Éowyn and Debbie, we hope, will not be the norm going forward, Ireland, because of its position in the Atlantic will continue to have stormy episodes, as depressions pass near or over the country.
In an outdoor sporting context, the severity of the wind poses issues. Ask a links golfer, or the free-taker in Gaelic football. And it's with the latter code we focus on when it comes to the impact a breeze or a force-8 gale has on kicking the ball.
Storm Éowyn had passed our shores just in time for the start of this year's Allianz League, a competition where Gaelic football's new playing rules were viewed competitively for the first time. There's a lot to take in and we don't know as of yet what changes will be in place for the start of the championship in five weeks' time.
One change that is likely to stay in place is the award of a two-pointer outside the 40-metre arc. It's fair to say we've seen a few of those, none more so than last weekend when Galway hit seven two-pointers in the first half against Donegal.
That helped the westerners build-up a 0-17 to 0-01 advantage at the break, though the gale at their backs was another contributing factor. Shane Walsh's accuracy from the beyond the arc was worth the admission fee in itself, with the howling winds off the western seaboard also playing a part in guiding the ball between the posts. With the elements in their favour for the second 35 minutes, Donegal eventually rose to 0-14, to finish seven adrift.
That said, last Sunday did see Cavan recover from a 12-point deficit at half-time to beat Westmeath by four points. To a lesser extent, Louth and Meath clawed back arrears to claim victory against Down and Roscommon respectively, while Offaly, trailing by nine at the break, saw their second-half surge just fall short against Fermanagh. The said matches were played out in testing conditions and the wind clearly did have an influence of games, notwithstanding the opportunities teams now have to add two-pointers to their scoring tally.
Alan O'Reilly, curator of the social media hit Carlow Weather, may not be a qualified meteorologist but his observations regularly get air time ahead of any weather alert. We mentioned earlier about the prevailing south-westerly gales and the direction of this wind has, not that it's a huge surprise to us, an influence as to where in the country is likely to get more of a battering from a high mark on the Beaufort Scale.
Alan's forecast ahead of last year's All-Ireland hurling final
Heaviest rain should miss All Ireland final but still some showers likely and heaviest in second half. A good breeze and blowing from Davin stand towards the Hill. Mild enough with temperatures still up to 18c for match. Best of luck @OfficialCorkGAA @GaaClare pic.twitter.com/kC8fuIYdKF
— Carlow Weather (@CarlowWeather) July 20, 2024
So as to which GAA grounds near the coast are most likely to see the strongest of winds, well, perhaps there is no great shock to what O'Reilly had to say.
"Pearse Stadium in Salthill when the strong westerly blows directly from one goal to another. Malin Head in the northwest is the windiest station in Ireland and as the crow flies Celtic Park in Derry is just 42km from that station, leaving that location in the firing line."
"Donegal is the most northerly county in the country, but as its main GAA grounds are located inland, those in Ballybofey and Letterkenny, they are less impacted by the winds. Markievicz Park in Sligo, being near the sea and also due to its elevation, can often be a windy spot. The proximity of Roches Point to Páirc Uí Chaoimh makes that venue vulnerable."
So where in the country is the wind less likely to have an impact?
"Stadiums in Carlow and Kilkenny are in areas that have the lowest wind speeds on average," O'Reilly added.
"Wexford, nearby, would be more prone to higher speeds."
That said, the roof of the Old Stand at Nowlan Park was blown off in a storm back in 2014. And no matter how accurate the forecasters are, freak gusts can occur, with the odd tornado visiting our shores.
And what about Croke Park?
"A strong east or north-easterly wind would makes things tricky at Croker in spite of it being in a built-up area and it's the latter that would lessen the impact of a south-westerly. Quite simply, there are too many obstacles placed in the direction of such a wind; the height of the stadium is also a factor."
The other main GAA stadia in the country, namely Semple Stadium, MacHale Park and Clones, are situated inland, so, based on O'Reilly's assertion, are less likely to be impacted by the elements. You can also factor in whether venues are elevated. Kingspan Breffni in Cavan, for example, is situated in a dip, so making it less exposed.
Pearse Stadium in Salthill, whilst a fine venue that now boasts floodlights, is nevertheless deemed by some as not being suitable as a location for inter-county games. Walsh may have caught the eye with his long-distance shooting against Donegal, but it was a contest that at times veered towards a weather-affected farce.
Wheil they're taking Tyrone there tomorrow, it's unlikely that Galway GAA will head north (go inland) and decide that Tuam Stadium should be re-instated as the 'home of football' in the county. A case then of kicking more of those two-pointers when that westerly gale is at your back and coping with it when it's a battle between you and that Atlantic howl.
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