The Irish climate has been getting wetter, according to a study of rainfall over the past 300 years – and the decade from 2006 to 2015 was the wettest on record. Dr Murphy said the wetter weather has had significant knock-on effects, such as more frequent flooding and stormier winters. The driest decade on record was 1740 to 1749; overall the study indicates a continued trend of drier summers and wetter winters. FarmingPádraic Joyce, a dairy farmer near Westport, Co Mayo, with 100 cows, said the changing climate and increasing rainfall are affecting Irish farming. “That all comes at a cost,” said Mr Joyce, who chairs the Irish Farmers’ Association in Connacht.

Source: The Irish Times March 27, 2018 17:42 UTC