Today was the warmest day of 2002 at 16 degrees this year while tomorrow’s temperatures are expected to soar to a scolding 17 degrees.
The warm temperatures have brought with them the feeling that at last, spring has finally arrived. But when does spring officially start?
Old-school die-hards insist that spring begins on February 1st, others, who are younger, say that it’s March 1st. Then there are others still, perhaps showing indications of new-ageism, that claim the Spring Equinox signals the start of Spring.
The Oxford English Dictionary says the spring months are March, April and May.
Surely Met Eireann would know the answer. Well following a phone call to the good people there, ireland.comwas still no more the wiser.
Met Eireann say they consider that spring begins on March 1st. However they accept that the public might not agree with this and suggested that a call to the Dunsink Observatory, who officially keep Irish time, might solve the question.
The nice gentleman at the Dunsink Observatory chuckled at the query. It’s obviously a hoary old chestnut. To them the first day of spring starts with the Spring Equinox, which started on Tuesday, March 20th at 7.00 p.m. The equinox varies each year between the 20th and 22nd of March.
Would the Department of the Environment would know the answer? No, they didn’t, but instead pointed in the direction of the Department of Justice, who are in charge of the changing from official Winter Time to official Summer Time.
The only help that the good people of the Department of Justice could provide was that official summertime will begin on March 30th.
There’s nothing like the mention of weather to raise a debate in Ireland. With so many different entities now involved, this discussion could spread like wildfire.
At the time of writing, clocking off work is almost upon us and the pub is looming large. Alcohol could enflame the passions in this debate and, who knows, if someone’s pint gets nudged in the meantime, the capital could be ablaze by midnight.