It is well known that Ireland has chaotic weather. If you Google the phrase “experience all four seasons in one day”, Ireland will surely pop-up in the results.

I found it lovely that Irish people seem to be proud of their country’s weather and are willing to joke about it. An Irish friend recently told me “Having waterproof clothes is more important than having warm clothes”. This is true. It can be really cold sometimes, but being a bit cold is not as bad as being drenched and cold.

You can have long periods of rain, and there is no such a thing as “waiting for it to finish”. Even if it stops, and the sky is clear, winds are strong and a big black cloud could appear over your head any moment ruining your day.

I’m here to give you some advice. This list includes from the obvious, to some gathered hints from Irish and international people from Maynooth

Essential

– A good raincoat or umbrella. The umbrella is often not as good as a raincoat, because rain in Ireland is not heavy, and the wind makes the rain “fall sideways”

– Waterproof shoes. You don’t want to arrive to your very first lecture of the day with wet feet.

– Bring light trousers. They will get wet no matter what. Just let them dry with ease

University days

– Get a waterproof backpack, or a backpack cover.

– Carry with you a spare pair of socks and shoes in your backpack. Even if the ones you’re currently wearing are waterproof, this can be helpful in case you step into a big puddle (and it happens).

Bike?

– Waterproof gloves. Forget about the cotton ones.

– There are some “cycling rain ponchos” in stores like Decathlon, which are made to shield you and your bike from the rain.

Party?

– Go as light as you can. Expect to pay at least 2 euros per clothing in the cloakroom.

– Forget about your hairstyle.

Irishisms could be useful!

Only a shower: Short spell of rain

Roasting: Really hot

Baltic: Really cold

Overcast: Cloudy

Rotten day: Weather is not nice

It’s splitting stones: Very sunny

Spitting: Really light rain

Raining cats and dogs / Bucketing down / Lashing: Raining a lot

Irish Saying:

A red sky at night: a Shephard’s delight, a red sky at morning: a Shephard’s warning

These people are funny!

It is visually impressive how different and beautiful the landscapes look according to the weather and the season! There are plenty of them to see close to the university, because it is surrounded with green areas and tall trees. Every sunny day is an invitation to go for a stroll with your friends! You can visit the Carton House, a quite big and gorgeous place!