Shannon set to record sunniest month on record

Shannon Airport is poised to break its all-time record for monthly sunshine, which was set back in June 1957 with 261.2 hours of sunshine.

As of now, the County Clare station has already recorded an impressive 256.7 hours of sunshine this May—just 4.5 hours shy of surpassing the decades-old record. With clear skies likely to persist for the day, the record is virtually guaranteed to fall.

This May has already gone down as Shannon’s sunniest on record, eclipsing the previous May benchmark of 255.1 hours set in 1974.

The month has also been exceptionally dry. Up until Tuesday’s thunderstorms, just 2.7mm of rainfall had been recorded at the Met Éireann station at Shannon—only 4% of the typical May average for the region.

While Belmullet, County Mayo, claimed the title of Ireland’s sunniest location over the past week with 97.3 hours—229% of its normal total—Shannon’s consistent sunshine throughout the month has captured national attention.

In contrast, the usually bright southeast saw more subdued conditions. Johnstown Castle in County Wexford logged 85.7 hours of sunshine—still double the seasonal average, but far behind the highs in the west.

Met Éireann also reported above-average temperatures across the country last week, with the west feeling the most heat. Shannon Airport recorded the highest mean temperature at 16.2°C, a full 4.1°C above the norm. Dublin Airport, by comparison, was the coolest at 11.7°C.