While most Irish people and foreign visitors are trying to cope with the rain and winds lashing the country this month, most farmers are delighted with the downpours.
According to Mr Jim O'Mahoney, chief tillage adviser with Teagasc, farmers in silage harvesting and some tillage crops welcomed the end of a "near-drought".
"Most people appear to have forgotten that there was far less rain in March, April, May and even in June than in other years, and this is a crucial time for people growing crops such as cereals, potatoes and grass," he said.
"The recent rain has been a godsend for farmers growing grass for silage, beet and potatoes, but unfortunately it has come too late for the cereal farmers and will not benefit them at all."
Following two bumper harvests, Ireland's cereal farmers are facing what Mr O'Mahoney called "a difficult and protracted harvest". He said it was clear that yields would be much lower than last year. Winter barley yields were expected to be down by at least half a tonne per acre on last year's high of three tonnes on a much reduced acreage caused by the difficulties in planting at the end of last year.
"Crops are so light that there is very little lodging [crops battered into the ground by wind and rain] this year. May was very dry, and this has led to a lot of difficulties with yield," he said.
Bad weather late last year had forced some farmers to delay sowing until after Christmas, and 35,000 acres had been sown as late as January and February.
"There will not be anything like the yields last year, and I expect them to be down by at least half a tonne per acre when harvesting begins," he said.
He said the lack of rain early in the year would also impact on the yield in spring-sown cereals. While it was too early to predict the full picture, national yields were likely to be down.
Mr Fintan Conway, the Irish Farmers' Association's cereals expert, said he saw great opportunities for farmers later in the year despite the reduction in yields.
"Growing conditions have been very bad in both France and the UK, and this has already created a demand for cereal which has pushed up the prices by £18 sterling per tonne for wheat," he said.
There were similar problems in the US, where wheat prices were already rising. As there was very little grain in EU intervention, Irish cereal farmers could expect decent prices this harvest.
Mr Michael McBennett, a Newcastle, Co Dublin, tillage farmer, said the lack of rain had created problems this year and he had had to irrigate his potato crops until last week.
Weather-watchers are hedging their bets for this weekend, adds Mary Minihan. A Met Eireann spokeswoman, Ms Sarah O'Reilly, was last night predicting sunshine and showers.
"It looks like a mixed bag, with spells of rain but some bright and sunny spells," she said. Tonight would be calm, and although winds would pick up tomorrow it should stay quite mild. However, rain would come in from the southwest tomorrow and move up through the country during the night.
She said Saturday should be mostly dry, but there would be rain in the north-east and the likelihood of showers throughout the country. Sunday would be similar, with rain expected later in the day.
Temperatures should stay in the high teens during most of the weekend.