Shannon nears historic sunshine record as Belmullet leads weekly totals

Shannon Airport is on track to challenge its all-time monthly sunshine record, set in June 1957 with 261.2 hours.

So far this May, the County Clare location has recorded a remarkable 231.2 sunshine hours—just 30 hours shy of surpassing the historic mark—with nearly two weeks still to go.

With widespread sunshine likely on Wednesday through Friday morning, it is likely that Shannon will record its sunniest May on record at least. That came in May 1974 when the airport recorded 255.1 sunshine hours during the month.

It has also been an exceptionally dry month at Shannon Airport. Before Tuesday’s thunderstorms, the Met Éireann synoptic station based at the airport recorded only 2.7mm of rainfall since the start of May. That is only 4% of the seasonal rainfall average for Clare.

While Belmullet in County Mayo claimed the title of Ireland’s sunniest spot over the past week with 97.3 hours—229% of its usual total—Shannon’s sustained sunshine throughout the month has drawn national attention.

By contrast, the typically bright southeast was unusually dull. Johnstown Castle in County Wexford logged 85.7 sunshine hours—still double its seasonal average but well behind the western highs.

Met Éireann has reported that mean air temperatures over the past week were above average across the country, with the west feeling the most warmth. Shannon Airport recorded the highest mean temperature at 16.2°C, 4.1°C above normal, while Dublin Airport was coolest at 11.7°C.

Rainfall varied widely, with Malin Head in Donegal recording the most at 13.4 mm (84% of average), and parts of the midlands and west experiencing completely dry conditions.