WEATHER AND GARDENS

It’s a country that knows the rain well. There is an old Irish saying that you may have all four seasons in one day in Ireland!

But it is a country that also, paradoxically, is ill-equipped to deal with rain, as most roads, even urban ones do not have an evacuation system. Wait to drive in the pouring rain, you will not be disappointed, the motorist is at risk of aquaplaning from 50 KM an hour … when at the same time the pedestrian gets splashed gimmick style

As much as the infrastructure does not follow, as much the clothes follow: the Irish are equipped for rain and wind and neither prevents them from going out. The Irishman is resilient, he is able to swim all winter in 10° water (I have seen them I assure you that those are not Olympic champions who bathe but all age groups, including many seniors). In general, outdoor living and sport are a value in themselves for the Irish (see also GAA/ALL-IRELAND article to be published next week).  This explains, in my opinion, that the Irish have a good life expectancy despite a suboptimal health system, and that they are not particularly overweight, nothing to do with the Americans, or even the Scots. Outdoor life compensates for alcohol intake, it’s all about input and output.

 One golden rule: you get out as soon as you can! This is why, as soon as the weather clears up, the lawns of the parks are filled with families, gangs of young people and dog owners at the same time.

The reward for this regular rain is these same parks. The problem with Ireland, in my opinion, is that for a good hundred years they have been busy emigrating, which has considerably hindered the acquisition and maintenance of know-how. So for example your piano gets tuned within 45 mn with a machine. When there are big concerts in Dublin, a tuner is being flown from abroad to tune the piano! The country is gradually rediscovering ancestral know-how such as textiles or acquiring others, especially in terms of gastronomy (more to that later), but it takes time.

On the other hand, if there is one know-how that the Irish have preserved and developed, it is landscaping. At the same time, it makes sense, because their first wealth is precisely this fertile land maintained by the natural and abundant rains that fall on the country. You don’t have to go very far to find beautiful, large, hundred-year-old trees. In addition, absolutely all the green areas, from the small parks to the big renowned gardens are very well and creatively maintained. Ireland’s parks and gardens are a true heritage, beautiful to explore from January to December. It is a real pleasure to walk in Malahide Park or Powerscourt to name just two. In general, nature is never far away in Ireland, even in Dublin, so you might as well enjoy it!