We need your help now
Support from readers like you keeps The Journal open.
You are visiting us because we have something you value. Independent, unbiased news that tells the truth. Advertising revenue goes some way to support our mission, but this year it has not been enough.
If you've seen value in our reporting, please contribute what you can, so we can continue to produce accurate and meaningful journalism. For everyone who needs it.
Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
By continuing, you are indicating that you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
A WHITE CHRISTMAS isn’t on the cards this year, with Met Éireann instead forecasting a day of scattered showers with sunny spells.
A white Christmas occurs when there is lying snow at 9am on 25 December at one of the main primary stations.
It has always been a rare occurrence in Ireland and is becoming rarer still due to climate change – the average December day now has a mean temperature of around seven degrees.
The last time a white Christmas happened was during the Big Freeze of 2010, and it’s happened nine times in all since 1964.
During the Big Freeze of 2010, the highest total of lying snow in Ireland on Christmas Day was recorded – 27 centimetres at Casement Aerodrome.
A Met Éireann spokesperson told The Journal that “while there remains some uncertainty in the forecast”, it looks likely that Christmas Day “will bring a mix of scattered showers and sunny spells”.
There is also a chance of longer spells of rain in some northern and western parts.
And while there will be a brief cooler spell on Christmas Day, it won’t bring any snow.
The Met Éireann spokesperson said: “The models are currently trending towards a brief cooler spell on Christmas Day after a relatively mild few days this week.
“However, temperatures will not be cold enough to bring any wintry precipitation.”
While Ireland does get occasional cold snaps, environmental journalist John Gibbons told The Journal that the “general climatic shift in Ireland is that we’re moving towards drier, warmer summers, and wetter, milder winters”.
He noted that the “amount of rainfall in Ireland in the last couple of decades has increased by 7%”.
“It’s a huge change and one of the reasons we’re seeing more and more flooding events,” said Gibbons.
“With every additional degree of global warming, we get an extra 7% precipitation in the atmosphere.
“Assuming global warming continues on its current path, it’s going to get an awful lot wetter in Ireland.
“I think it’s far more likely that we’ll have sodden Christmases rather than white Christmases.”
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
The gov should decrease vat on elec and gas so that they don’t get more tax when the price goes up. For the less well off, Reducing vat on gas is more important than decreasing it on restaurants.
Wow, just wow. The Irish consumer is facing increased mortgage interest, additional taxes and levies for services, increased insurance prices and now this with the ESB to follow. Anyone who believes (as in the government) that citizens can bear this and further austerity is deluded. Something has got t give!
These companies are profit making enterprises they will charge what they can get away with. Look in how many different ways have we to be beaten over the head with increased taxes,reduced services and increased prices before we see how unimportant we as citizens and it is only vested interested groups which get the politicians ear. Smoke and mirrors folk. Think for your self and your community and not for the vested interested
Eh rising Gas prices internationally?
Dont we get it from our own sources in the Atlantic?
Its a bloody joke, we have a huge supply of gas in the corrib and we are selling it to shell and then buying it back from shell at a higher price, Ireland is truly an insane asylum.
That truly is ridiculous. @Robert – do you know of a website/link where I could find out more about this? I found this: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/may/29/shell-ireland-corrib-gas-project (nice to see local people protesting, but how much of the wider public are aware of this, as you say, insanity??
) but not much else. The fact that we are selling and buying back our own gas reserves does seem to epitomize the senselessness of much of this country’s troubles (or rather the origin of those troubles).
God forbid the government would consider putting money into using the wind and water resources we have plenty of to secure a bright and warm future!!!
Hmmm..they are all on the profit boat and it is us, the minions that float them
in a small country like Ireland, a 120 million profit for any company during a recession is something they should be grateful for but they want more. They know they have the Irish people trapped. We only have a choice of 3 providers and they all increase their prices whenever one of them increases it. There is no competition. Does any of these companies realize how small Ireland is?
We still have at least 4 more austerity budgets to go through. Rip off ireland is dead, it’s bend over and take it Ireland that is alive and well.
we the irish are to quite.if this happend in france or greese we would shut the country down for 48hours.its time we stood up instead of talking bout it.
My only issues with the Greek and French is that as much as they like a protest they also like a riot. If you riot then that moves the focus of attention away from what is important and in the end gets you nowhere. I’m also not sure what use a peaceful protest is in a country like Ireland. On top of that who the heck organises a protest? Unions? Local politians? The only true protests are from grassroots campaigns but most of these are for very local issues like shell to sea or roscommon hospital. How do you have a nationwide grassroots protest without the riot and/or any other dilutant or hidden agenda. I’m thinking Libertas and Lisbon treaty here.
rip off ireland is alive and well.when are people going to stand up and say enough is enough.we cant give what we havent got.from new taxes to higher esb bills.where does it stop…..
Absolute scumbags. Didn’t Lucy ‘dont speak with ur mouth full’ Kennedy advertise for them? Anything involving that ‘woman’ is beneath contempt.
John, She played a part in an ad… She’s not on the feckin’ board!!
John, She (Lucy Kennedy) played a part in an advert… She’s not on the board and is DEFINITELY not involved in Bórd Gáis’ price structures…. I think you’re giving her a little too much credit there!!
Paul – I never said she was on the board !!!! However she is a force for evil and I’m sure most who saw her advertising them stayed away. I hope they did anyway.
“A force for evil” – Ha ha!! Brilliant!!
Paul she should live with u seeing that ur a dedicated member of her fanclub. Hahahahaha !!!!!!
Whatever the rights & wrongs of the issue to blame the person used in the ad campaign is not going to solve anything. She was advertising a choice for people to switch. They were then free to exercise their free will and choose what to do. If they feel conned then take it up with the service provider. Anyone who switched because Lucy Kennedy said it was a good idea probably needs to start thinking for themselves.
Absolute scum of the earth! The rich get richer and the poor get poorer.
No wonder Ireland will remain noncompetitive whilst energy companies increase prices both on the consumer & business.
YET, the present administration, IBEC et al, all harp on about the need for pay-cuts to the ordinary hard pressed people out there.
As long as these shenanigans continue, by taking more and more money out of the local economy, we will continue to ‘flat-line’ on economic growth.
The Government should deny these price increases, as the public were promised that competition would reduce costs and benefit the consumer.
Must we backtrack on everything?? Abolish the Energy Regulator now and let proper competition take place and as with any industry, the strong and innovative will survive…
rather than complaining, I’ve just switched to Airtricity from Bord Gais this morning.
The Big Switch works both ways!
As Lucy suggests, it’s very easy
time for the big switch part 2
#maketheswitchback
the cost of living continues to sky rocket though fg would like to continue to slash our income
The Government can fix gas and electricity costs during these hard times !
This announcement – along with the €120 MILLION PROFIT mentioned – makes me sick to the pit of my stomach.
I recall their ads boasting ’200,000 people have made the big switch’. Well, we need to all switch away again – I will be – then they will have NO customers to charge.. Let’s face it, they don’t deserve any. It won’t be about cost-saving – but registering our disgust…
.
How about it folks? It’s called people power – pun intended.
#maketheswitchback
Having seen similar happen in the UK years ago im not suprised at this increase. Yes Gina everyone should switch away and while they are at it move money from these bailed out banks that give huge bonuses out to their fat cat bosses People power is the only way.
Just ridiculous the scandalous way we as a country are being fecked left right and centre. The government have yet to hold anybody to account for the banking crisis. The energy regulator is about as good as the banking regulator all talk and no balls they just roll over and let the corporations feck us all. Just when you think things can’t get much worse our government are still going to the EU and going to get our interest rate on the bailout cut when????? Not a hope in hell. Electricity gas I think it’s time to stop the country I want to get off it. It’s time for a reassessment take back the resources the previous administration sold for penny’s when it was worth so much more. A real investment in wind/wave energy and solar instead of these small amounts of tax cuts and levies a large amount should be set aside immediately in order for a country to continue stop increasing interest/electricity/gas for another 2 to 3 years until economic certainty has been achieved.
@Gareth. Please could you re-post your comment in English/French/ Greek/Latin/Spanish or any known language, then I would be aware of what you actually wanted to post!
what i ment was we as a nation are all talk and no action.its time we stood up for our selfs once and for all.
Use precise geolocation data. Actively scan device characteristics for identification. Store and/or access information on a device. Personalised advertising and content, advertising and content measurement, audience research and services development.
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work.
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then these services may not function properly.
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we will not be able to monitor our performance.
Cookies, device or similar online identifiers (e.g. login-based identifiers, randomly assigned identifiers, network based identifiers) together with other information (e.g. browser type and information, language, screen size, supported technologies etc.) can be stored or read on your device to recognise it each time it connects to an app or to a website, for one or several of the purposes presented here.
Advertising presented to you on this service can be based on limited data, such as the website or app you are using, your non-precise location, your device type or which content you are (or have been) interacting with (for example, to limit the number of times an ad is presented to you).
Information about your activity on this service (such as forms you submit, content you look at) can be stored and combined with other information about you (for example, information from your previous activity on this service and other websites or apps) or similar users. This is then used to build or improve a profile about you (that might include possible interests and personal aspects). Your profile can be used (also later) to present advertising that appears more relevant based on your possible interests by this and other entities.
Advertising presented to you on this service can be based on your advertising profiles, which can reflect your activity on this service or other websites or apps (like the forms you submit, content you look at), possible interests and personal aspects.
Information about your activity on this service (for instance, forms you submit, non-advertising content you look at) can be stored and combined with other information about you (such as your previous activity on this service or other websites or apps) or similar users. This is then used to build or improve a profile about you (which might for example include possible interests and personal aspects). Your profile can be used (also later) to present content that appears more relevant based on your possible interests, such as by adapting the order in which content is shown to you, so that it is even easier for you to find content that matches your interests.
Content presented to you on this service can be based on your content personalisation profiles, which can reflect your activity on this or other services (for instance, the forms you submit, content you look at), possible interests and personal aspects. This can for example be used to adapt the order in which content is shown to you, so that it is even easier for you to find (non-advertising) content that matches your interests.
Information regarding which advertising is presented to you and how you interact with it can be used to determine how well an advert has worked for you or other users and whether the goals of the advertising were reached. For instance, whether you saw an ad, whether you clicked on it, whether it led you to buy a product or visit a website, etc. This is very helpful to understand the relevance of advertising campaigns.
Information regarding which content is presented to you and how you interact with it can be used to determine whether the (non-advertising) content e.g. reached its intended audience and matched your interests. For instance, whether you read an article, watch a video, listen to a podcast or look at a product description, how long you spent on this service and the web pages you visit etc. This is very helpful to understand the relevance of (non-advertising) content that is shown to you.
Reports can be generated based on the combination of data sets (like user profiles, statistics, market research, analytics data) regarding your interactions and those of other users with advertising or (non-advertising) content to identify common characteristics (for instance, to determine which target audiences are more receptive to an ad campaign or to certain contents).
Information about your activity on this service, such as your interaction with ads or content, can be very helpful to improve products and services and to build new products and services based on user interactions, the type of audience, etc. This specific purpose does not include the development or improvement of user profiles and identifiers.
Content presented to you on this service can be based on limited data, such as the website or app you are using, your non-precise location, your device type, or which content you are (or have been) interacting with (for example, to limit the number of times a video or an article is presented to you).
With your acceptance, your precise location (within a radius of less than 500 metres) may be used in support of the purposes explained in this notice.
With your acceptance, certain characteristics specific to your device might be requested and used to distinguish it from other devices (such as the installed fonts or plugins, the resolution of your screen) in support of the purposes explained in this notice.
Your data can be used to monitor for and prevent unusual and possibly fraudulent activity (for example, regarding advertising, ad clicks by bots), and ensure systems and processes work properly and securely. It can also be used to correct any problems you, the publisher or the advertiser may encounter in the delivery of content and ads and in your interaction with them.
Certain information (like an IP address or device capabilities) is used to ensure the technical compatibility of the content or advertising, and to facilitate the transmission of the content or ad to your device.
Information about your activity on this service may be matched and combined with other information relating to you and originating from various sources (for instance your activity on a separate online service, your use of a loyalty card in-store, or your answers to a survey), in support of the purposes explained in this notice.
In support of the purposes explained in this notice, your device might be considered as likely linked to other devices that belong to you or your household (for instance because you are logged in to the same service on both your phone and your computer, or because you may use the same Internet connection on both devices).
Your device might be distinguished from other devices based on information it automatically sends when accessing the Internet (for instance, the IP address of your Internet connection or the type of browser you are using) in support of the purposes exposed in this notice.
The choices you make regarding the purposes and entities listed in this notice are saved and made available to those entities in the form of digital signals (such as a string of characters). This is necessary in order to enable both this service and those entities to respect such choices.
have your say