SHANNON has broken the warmest temperatures recorded in the country for the month of May.
On Tuesday, Shannon broke the 30C May temperature record when the Met Éireann weather station at Shannon Airport hit temperatures of 30.5C. This was the first time in the country that temperatures went above 30C during the month of May in Ireland.
Mercury hit 28.5C at Shannon Airport on Monday across the record-breaking well.
Sunshine and the heat has resulted in a swell of visitors to coastal parts of the county all week with parts of North and West Clare recording a bounce in economic activity.
Siopa Fan Oir in Fanore has enjoyed its busiest spell. Catherine O’Connor who took over the shop from Mick O’Toole on New Year’s Day admitted it was a well-needed lift. “We’ve been waiting for this since we took it over, we’ve had a bad run of it, the weather has been so bad so this has been great”.
She told The Clare Echo, “This has been my best three days since I took over and we’re six months in. The blue flag going from Lahinch has boosted Fanore, I can see it in even in the evening time this week that the beach has been leathered in Fanore”.
Water, ice-cream and all minerals are proving to be the most popular items flying off the shelves in Fanore this week. “There is a great buzz, the pub and Fanore Cafe have been busy all weekend, people are out there smiling and they are happy, the sunshine puts them all in good form. I’m very grateful to the people who have helped to keep us open over the last six months when we didn’t have the footfall coming in”.
Speaking to The Clare Echo from a hot and sunny Lahinch, Paddy Murphy said, “the last three days have been exceptional, we have a great product in Lahinch between surf schools, the beach, cafés, restaurants, boutiques, bars, there’s something for everyone. Anyone who comes for the first time is blown away by what is on offer in a condensed area within the main street and the side streets. We have something to be proud of and we have a lot of repeat business from Galway, Tipperary and Limerick not to mention our people of Clare.
Owner of the café, Anna & Co, Paddy noted they had a “massive” bump in business due to the weather. “We’ve had a few bumper days but this has been right up there, it has gone way beyond our expectations. We’re a new product and we’re establishing ourselves but I notice a lot of people are going in subconsciously, they don’t look at the name on the door. I’m not your typical coffee shop man, I’m in the middle winding people up and telling the children to be eating their spinach and broccoli”.
Morale as well as business has been lifted across the county, Paddy observed. “There is lovely activity and a buzz around, seeing people smiling is incredible. It is a great lift for everyone, sometimes we lose the run of ourselves and take good weather for granted. I notice a lot of parents this week know that we only have a window of three or four days so they are letting their children out in the sun. We’ll see what June and July brings, it is a different world up here when the sun is shining with the atmosphere and business, it takes a lot of pressure off the retailers, we have seen our costs increase in the last couple of years, the good weather lets us come up for air before the season starts properly”.
Absence of the Blue Flag has not impacted on Lahinch too much, the Tulla native felt. “I find that a conversation develops from time to time in the coffee shop, you explain it is one step from excellence, you can’t tell everyone about it. The whole Blue Flag issue, the way it has been represented is a challenge to us, a lot of people depend on the water, all the activities like summer camps which parents rely on their children to be doing them, people are now questioning it which is disappointing because the water is excellent. Everyone goes to the seaside for the beach, without the beach we wouldn’t have any of these facilities around it”.
Met Éireann have forecast that conditions will begin to worsen from Thursday on, though it will still be warm with highs of 18 to 24C. It will be much cloudier than the recent fine spell and there will be some rain and drizzle in western areas. Any lingering rain will clear up again on Friday to leave another dry, sunny day, but cloud will build up again during the afternoon and evening, with highs of 17 to 21C. Current signs from Met Éireann show the long weekend will bring “a return to more unsettled conditions”, with rain and showers on the cards and temperatures dropping to “the mid-to-high teens”.
