Speaking of Norman invasions, as we were just yesterday in Weather Eye, Ireland's misfortunes in this respect can be largely traced to the little town of Ferns in Co Wexford. It was there that Dermot MacMurrough had his seat in the 1160s, and from there that he carried on his celebrated feud with O'Rourke of Breifne.
Although there were the usual political motives for their disagreement, the feud partly had its origins in MacMurrough's abduction in 1152 of O'Rourke's wife, Dervorgilla. There followed endless campaigns, cattle raids, burnings and atrocities, so that as described in The Annals of the Four Masters, "Ireland was a trembling sod".
O'Rourke, however, seized his opportunity in 1166 on the death of MacMurrough's great ally, Murtach MacLochlann of Ailech, one of the most powerful men in Ireland. MacMurrough's castle in Ferns was totally destroyed, and MacMurrough himself was obliged to take the boat to Wales to woo the Normans. The rest, as they say, is history.
Ferns, of course, has recovered from those heady times, but over the next few days there will once again be many a trembling sod in the vicinity. Ferns, as we know, is host to this year's National Ploughing Championships, which in addition to being precisely what they say they are, also include one of the largest annual exhibitions in the country.
As it has done for the past 13 successive years, Met Eireann will be there showing off its agricultural wares; they can be seen at Row J, Stand 278, demonstrating with their gadgetry how meteorology can help the farmer.
High technology has brought precision to the farming industry, so that there are few areas of uncertainty remaining. But one of them is weather. Our temperate climate here in Ireland is a rich resource. The pervasive influence of its volatility, however, must be addressed if the farmer is to maximise both efficiency of production and the quality of food produced.
At Ferns you will see how this is done. The weather stand will display much of the electronic wizardry you read about from time to time in Weather Eye.
Weather radar, for example, will be in operation to give warning of approaching showers; terminals interacting directly with the computers in Glasnevin will provide colourful examples of any weather charts that one might wish to see; there will no doubt be archived displays of the recent hurricanes from Danielle to Georges, and other meteorological events of the recent past; and, most importantly, there you will find kindly, concerned and helpful weatherpeople to explain the many tricks of their mysterious trade to anyone who shows the slightest bit of interest.