Snowdrifts in Rahugh, co. Westmeath in 1982
The current winter storm sweeping across Ireland – the so-called Beast from the East – has been compared to the snow storms in January of 1982, which brought the country to a standstill. I’ve mentioned that storm before here. The picture above shows a picture from 1982, taken by my mother, on our farm in Rahugh, co. Westmeath. The snow-drifts have formed alongside the western side of the hedge on the edge of a field – the snow drifts are about 1.5 metres high. The Westmeath Examiner reported at the time that drifts of up to 10 feet had occurred in parts of Westmeath, and that a man had died walking through the snow back to his house one evening.
In Galway that January, the Connacht Tribune carried a picture of 6 feet high snowdrifts outside Loughrea¹ (while reporting that Connemara escaped the worst of the weather).
Met Eireann is reporting that the worst of the current storm will hit on Friday. The best thing to do is hunker down and wait it out.
Photo: My brother, sister and I sitting on a frozen stream on our farm in January 1982. Notice the drifted snow on the banks of the stream