When to go & weather

Weather

Dublin enjoys a milder climate than its northerly position might indicate, largely thanks to the influence of the North Atlantic Drift, or Gulf Stream. The warmest months of the year are July and August, when temperatures range from 15° to 20°C, while the coldest months – January and February – see the thermometer drop to between 4° and 8°C. It never gets too cold (major snowfalls are a rarity) but it never gets too hot either; even in summer you’re better off carrying a sweater or a light jacket.

Dublin is one of the drier parts of Ireland, but in a typical year it still rains on 150 days (dropping a total yearly average of 75cm). Summers are a meteorological lottery: it’s impossible to predict whether it’ll be a wet one or not, making forecasting a favourite subject of amateurs throughout the city (‘Well, it rained all of April, so that means we’ll have a good June’). Bring an umbrella. What is a certainty, however, is the long summer day; in July and August there are about 18 hours of daylight and it’s only truly dark after about 11pm. For weather forecasts, dial 1550 123 822.