This Christmas was one of the mildest in recent years, and reports indicate that it also was one of the quietest. The average temperature on Christmas Day was 50 degrees, or seven degrees higher than the average for December, while on Boxing Day it rose to 52 degrees.
On the afternoon of Christmas Day heavy rain, accompanied by high winds, was reported from most parts of the country. In Dublin there 50-mile-an-hour gusts.
On Christmas Eve, shops, restaurants and public-houses in Dublin were less crowded than in recent years. There was less last-minute buying, less eating and drinking out and less money changing hands.
The Irish Times, December 28th, 1949.
