The rhyme goes that if it rains on St Swithin’s Day it will rain continuously for 40 days. Tomorrow is the fateful day and, let’s face it, if the summer so far is anything to go by, the next 40 days can only be better.
According to the forecast, tomorrow will be a bright, fresh day with a mixture of sunny spells and partly cloudy skies.
The North looks most likely to feel the worst effects of the St Swithin hex as it is expected to suffer "occasional heavy showers".
The omens for the rest of us are good. Met Éireann says it will be "a lot drier and brighter elsewhere", but there is a potential pitfall. It does predict that "any showers will be lighter and more scattered".
Furthermore, a spell of heavy rain is anticipated to move in from the Atlantic overnight. If that hits Ireland before midnight, does that mean we are cursed for the rest of the summer?
Met Éireann’s longer range forecast would not fill one with hope.
Monday will bring "widespread rain and fog in the morning", though it will be "a little drier in places in the afternoon, with a few short bright or sunny spells".
"But more very wet weather is expected to come in off the Atlantic later in the day and overnight.
"Tuesday and Wednesday will be close, humid days too, with further spells of heavy rain moving in across the country from the Atlantic from time to time. The heaviest of the rain is expected over Connacht, west Ulster, and parts of west Munster."
St Swithin was the Bishop of Winchester and died in 862. On his deathbed, he asked to be buried in a humble grave outside the north wall of his cathedral so the "sweet rain from heaven" could fall on his grave.
However, the monks felt it wasn’t a fitting resting place. So on July 15, 971, they moved his grave to an ornate shrine they built for him.
Legend has it that torrential rains poured down on that day and for the following 40 days and 40 nights. Believing that it was St Swithin showing his displeasure by weeping in despair, the monks decided against moving his remains. Hence the rhyme.
According to the forecast, tomorrow will be a bright, fresh day with a mixture of sunny spells and partly cloudy skies.
The North looks most likely to feel the worst effects of the St Swithin hex as it is expected to suffer "occasional heavy showers".
The omens for the rest of us are good. Met Éireann says it will be "a lot drier and brighter elsewhere", but there is a potential pitfall. It does predict that "any showers will be lighter and more scattered".
Furthermore, a spell of heavy rain is anticipated to move in from the Atlantic overnight. If that hits Ireland before midnight, does that mean we are cursed for the rest of the summer?
Met Éireann’s longer range forecast would not fill one with hope.
Monday will bring "widespread rain and fog in the morning", though it will be "a little drier in places in the afternoon, with a few short bright or sunny spells".
"But more very wet weather is expected to come in off the Atlantic later in the day and overnight.
"Tuesday and Wednesday will be close, humid days too, with further spells of heavy rain moving in across the country from the Atlantic from time to time. The heaviest of the rain is expected over Connacht, west Ulster, and parts of west Munster."
St Swithin was the Bishop of Winchester and died in 862. On his deathbed, he asked to be buried in a humble grave outside the north wall of his cathedral so the "sweet rain from heaven" could fall on his grave.
However, the monks felt it wasn’t a fitting resting place. So on July 15, 971, they moved his grave to an ornate shrine they built for him.
Legend has it that torrential rains poured down on that day and for the following 40 days and 40 nights. Believing that it was St Swithin showing his displeasure by weeping in despair, the monks decided against moving his remains. Hence the rhyme.