BYCATHERINE COOK
THE rain in Donegal over recent weeks has been un-relenting to say the least. Just as we thought summer had arrived with soaring temperatures at the start of June along came wintery temperatures and persistent rain for the last few weeks.
According to Glenfin's renowned weather forecaster Michael Gallagher, however, the summer is not over yet. Michael has gained fame in Donegal for his ability to predict the weather by using natural signs and age-old traditions.
Speaking to the Donegal News this week, Mr Gallagher explained: "Things are going to pick up in July. I am amazed at people complaining about the weather. The rain at the moment is a result of the fact that we had thunder with a new moon, and the old people used to say that thunder will 'leak or break'."
He continued: "I've been watching out for frogs recently and I saw some spawning in the heartland of level ground and this is always a sign that there's going to be plenty of rain around."
When asked if he thought the weather was particularly unusual for this time of the year, Michael commented: "We had this type of weather we had years ago, and it tends to go in cycles. I think all this talk of global warming is the biggest load of nonsense because the weather goes in natural cycles. The problem is that nowadays, people want everything good."
For the foreseeable future, however, there is no sign of the rain going away. In fact, so inclement have weather conditions been lately that Paddy Power book-makers, who have a branch in Letterkenny have enhanced their range of weather bets giving punters the opportunity to profit from the rainfall. These include the next Irish river to burst its banks, and odds of 4/1 on this July being the wettest ever in Ireland.
The people of Donegal can seek some consolation, however, from official Met Office statistics which show that the county was considerably less wet than the rest of the country during the month of June.
Unfortunately, for the mean-time, that is where the good news ends, as a spokesperson for the Met Office explained: "There is no indication that things are going to dry up any time soon. Over recent weeks we have seen some very unusual weather for this time of year with large amounts of rain falling consistently."
