10 things that inevitably happen when the weather is sunny in Ireland
This is it lads – summer is here.
With temperatures set to exceed 27C in six counties in the west today, Met Éireann has issued a Status Yellow heat warning.
The anticipation is palpable (and productivity dropping) as people spend the day eyeing up outdoor pursuits, the rusty old barbecue, and lists of the best beer gardens (and ice-creams) in Ireland ahead of a sizzing afternoon and sunny evening.
While temperatures will be less sizzling (from 22C in the rest of the country) over the weekend, they’re still high enough to make us giddy, and the good news is they’re set to stay until the middle of next week.
Here are ten things that will inevitably happen over the coming days…
1. Someone will try to organise a BBQ
Sure wouldn’t it be a shame to waste the good weather? You nod in solidarity with other shoppers snatching lighters and BBQ kits in Tesco, as well as buying enough meat to feed a village. Speaking of which, if you haven’t got the sausages in by now you’re probably too late. The meat aisles will be barren by lunchtime.
2. Men will walk around town topless
Topless young man chilling on a bridge. Stock pic.
Lads, you’re on O’Connell Street, not Love Island. At least lash on some sunscreen.
3. Someone will get sunburnt
There’s always that one friend (ahem) who gets burnt to a crisp, despite insisting they “don’t burn”.
4. Beer gardens will reach full capacity
If you want a seat in the local beer garden, you’d better move fast. Getting a seat in a beer garden is Ireland’s equivalent to getting a sun lounger on holidays.
Here are some of the best options: Want to make the most of the sunshine? 20 of the best beer gardens and al fresco dining
5. Photos of ice creams and cocktails will fill your social media feeds
Did you even go to Howth if you didn’t take a photo of a 99 cone with a slightly blurry background of the sea?
6. Teens will flock to the beach in their hundreds
Plans have already been put in place via Whatsapp groups including which exact bus to get to the beach and which River Island bikini to wear on Saturday.
7. Tonight will consist of layering on fake tan
Some of Ireland’s top influencers will be rubbing their hands together in glee as even those of us who usually hide our pasty limbs behind clothing are forced to consider adding a luminous layer of fakery in an effort look half alive.
8. Garden furniture will be unearthed
“I told you we’d use this sun bed from Lidl,” dads across the country will insist as they sweep away cobwebs, dead moths, and mould.
9. The ‘summer clothes’ box will be retrieved
The clothes that we buried away last autumn will be pulled out “for the weekend that’s in it,” as we all wonder how we fitted into those shorts just a few months ago.
10. People in soft-top cars will finally have their moment
They’ve waited all year for this, and now people who own soft-top cars can put the roof down as they cruise down the motorway, before they hit traffic in the direction of any seaside location.
Read more: ‘It’s too hot. Okay, there I said it’ – Here’s how Ireland is (not) coping with the heatwave
‘My arm’s brighter than my future right now’ – today is inevitably all about #sunburn
