Irish weather, month by month

Typical Dublin-area averages. The east is Ireland's driest corner; the west is wetter and wilder.

January

High 8°C, low 3°C, around 12 rain days and 8 hours of daylight. The deepest of winter: short days, cosy pubs, empty sights. Storms roll in off the Atlantic; between them, low golden light. Wear: Full winter kit: warm waterproof coat, hat, gloves, waterproof boots.

February

High 8°C, low 3°C, around 10 rain days and 10 hours of daylight. Still wintry, but the evenings stretch and the first lambs appear. St Brigid's Day (1 Feb) opens the traditional Irish spring. Wear: As January: layers you can peel if the sun puts in an appearance.

March

High 10°C, low 3°C, around 11 rain days and 12 hours of daylight. Changeable and lively. St Patrick's Day brings the festivals; the weather brings everything else, sometimes in one afternoon. Wear: Waterproof jacket over a warm mid-layer; shoes that forgive puddles.

April

High 12°C, low 4°C, around 10 rain days and 14 hours of daylight. Spring proper: hedgerows greening, bluebells in the woods, showers that clear to big skies. A lovely, quieter month to travel. Wear: Layers plus a proper rain shell. Walking shoes over fashion shoes.

May

High 15°C, low 7°C, around 10 rain days and 16 hours of daylight. Often the sunniest month of the year, with long evenings and the country in full leaf, many locals' favourite month. Wear: Light layers; keep the rain jacket, retire the heavy coat.

June

High 18°C, low 10°C, around 10 rain days and 17 hours of daylight. Nearly 17 hours of daylight and twilight past 10pm in the north. Festival season starts; the sea is warming, slowly. Wear: T-shirts plus a jumper for evenings; rain jacket never far away.

July

High 20°C, low 12°C, around 11 rain days and 16 hours of daylight. The warmest month (though “warm” in Ireland means pleasant, rarely hot). Peak crowds at the famous sights. Wear: Summer clothes with a real jumper; swimmers for the brave (the sea is bracing).

August

High 19°C, low 12°C, around 11 rain days and 15 hours of daylight. High summer: festivals everywhere, harvest beginning, and the light turning golden earlier. Book the famous places ahead. Wear: As July, with the rain jacket earning its place in the bag.

September

High 17°C, low 10°C, around 10 rain days and 13 hours of daylight. The connoisseur's month: warm-ish days, quieter roads, hedgerows full of blackberries and the sea at its warmest. Wear: Mid-layers return; waterproofs for Atlantic fronts.

October

High 14°C, low 7°C, around 12 rain days and 11 hours of daylight. Autumn colour in the oak woods, Samhain season (Halloween is an Irish invention), and the first fires lit in the pubs. Wear: Warm waterproof coat again; boots for muddy paths.

November

High 10°C, low 4°C, around 12 rain days and 9 hours of daylight. Dark by five, dramatic coasts, and trad sessions that go long because nobody wants to go out in that. Atmospheric, not beach weather. Wear: Full winter kit, especially for the west coast.

December

High 8°C, low 3°C, around 13 rain days and 7.5 hours of daylight. The shortest days, Christmas markets in the cities, and pubs at their most welcoming. The 8 December shopping tradition still fills Dublin's streets. Wear: Warmest layers, hat and gloves; enjoy being indoors by the fire.