The Big Snows of '47, '63 & '85 -1947 was Irelands Coldest Winter

CDfm

Here is a cool link I came accross about winters when men were men and women cooked on a stove and some on an open fire .

My Dad once told me that in 1947 he and his father went to a neighbours house and the man had frozen to death.

So here it is

THE BIG SNOWS OF 1947, 1963 & 1982


Glancing out his bedroom window in Ballymote, Co. Sligo, on the evening of Monday 24 February 1947, seventeen-year-old Francie McFadden shivered. The penetrating Arctic winds had been blowing for several weeks. Munster and Leinster had been battling the snows since the middle of January. It was only a matter of time before the treacherous white powder began to tumble upon Ulster and Connaught.

That night, a major Arctic depression approached the coast of Cork and Kerry and advanced north-east across Ireland. As the black winds began howling down the chimneys, so the new barrage began. When Francie awoke on Tuesday morning, the outside world was being pounded by the most powerful blizzard of the 20th century.

1947 was the year of the Big Snow, the coldest and harshest winter in living memory. Long may it stay that way.[ii] Because the temperatures rarely rose above freezing point, the snows that had fallen across Ireland in January remained until the middle of March. Worse still, all subsequent snowfall in February and March simply piled on top. And there was no shortage of snow that bitter winter. Of the fifty days between January 24th and March 17th, it snowed on thirty of them.[iii]

‘The Blizzard’ of February 25th was the greatest single snowfall on record and lasted for close on fifty consecutive hours. It smothered the entire island in a blanket of snow. Driven by persistent easterly gales, the snow drifted until every hollow, depression, arch and alleyway was filled and the Irish countryside became a vast ashen wasteland. Nothing was familiar anymore. Everything on the frozen landscape was a sea of white. The freezing temperatures solidified the surface and it was to be an astonishing three weeks before the snows began to melt.
McFadden’s neighbour Jim Kielty was driving back from Dublin to Ballymote the night the blizzard struck. Kielty has driven over two million accident-free miles in his career as a hackney driver but he swears that was the hairiest journey he ever made. Through heavy snow and near zero visibility, he could see buses, lorries and cars abandoned all along the roadside.
Every field, road and rooftop was submerged under this dry, powdery snow. In many places, the snowdrifts were up to the height of the telegraph poles. When he got caught in the snow, Jackie Doherty of Liscarbon, Co. Leitrim, found his way home by clambering up a drift and using the telegraph wire to guide and maintain his balance. In the towns too, all the shop fronts, hall doors and gable walls vanished under the massive walls thrown up by the Arctic winds.

De Valera’s post-war Ireland ground to a complete standstill. The transport system was the first major thing to crumple. Every road and railway in the land was blocked, every canal frozen solid, every power cable and electricity pylon suffocated by snow. No amount of grit or rocksalt was ever going to compete. Nobody was going anywhere fast and nothing would be normal for nearly six weeks.[iv]

And guess what - we survived and the Government were not able to stop the snow then either.

‘People said Ireland was finished’, says McFadden. ‘It was pure black frost, night and day constant, and the snow was as high as the hedges. A lot of the houses around here were backed up to the roof. You couldn’t go outside the door without a good heavy coat on you. And there was no sky to be seen at all, or no sun.’

Here is the link

http://www.turtlebunbury.com/history/history_irish/history_irish_big_snow.htm

CDfm

I forgot to add the daredevils Irish style

On Bellinascarrow Lake they had a ceili

When the seventeen springs of Co. Sligo’s Bellinascarrow Lake were found to have frozen to a depth of nine feet, a group of young lads took the shoes off their horses, loaded their carts up with several tons of sawdust from the Ballymote mills and poured it all over the icy surface. ‘And didn’t they set up a stage on the lake with poles and lights and big heavy batteries!’, marvels McFadden. ‘They had bands and done dancing on it and the music of accordions and bodhrans could be heard above Boyle.’

A guy drove a motorbike accross the lake

One foolhardy gent won a whopping £30 when he drove across the lake on a BSA motorbike. Another daredevil cycled the full 10km length of Lough Key for the ‘craic’.

Ardmore went gaga for Bread

The rural community at Ardmore in Co. Waterford had been effectively cut off by the blizzard and the 10-foot high drifts. It took a lot of shoveling but the reward was manna itself when the bread van from Youghal finally reached the village.

And theres more

Memories of 1947 big snow live on

The most talked about natural phenomenon of our grandparents and great-grandparents time was the ‘Night of the Big Wind’ which occurred on January 6, 1839.
The ferocity of the storm on that night devastated the countryside and left thousands of people homeless. Memories of the terrifying event were imprinted on the minds of both young and old. Countless stories of how people suffered are related to the present day.
Anybody over sixty years of age will have similar tales to relate about the dreadful harvest conditions of 1946 and ‘The Big Snow’ that followed in the spring of 1947. Details will vary depending on where the narrator was located at the time and the nature of surrounding terrain. The gist of stories that can be told remains constant however.
Compulsory tillage regulations introduced by the Government during World War Two were still operative in 1946. Farmers were required to cultivate a certain acreage of their holdings. Growing of wheat was compulsory in order to ensure adequate supplies of flour for bread.
Extensive acreages of wheat and oats were ready for harvesting in autumn of that year. Incessant rainfall during the months of August and September resulted in land being too soft to permit the use of harvesting machinery. it became obvious to the authorities that only an all out effort by town and country folk could save the national grain harvest.
A state of emergency was declared and an appeal was made for volunteers to give of their time and resources in a concerted campaign to help in saving the harvest whenever weather conditions permitted. The army, public services and Local Authority staff were detailed to assist in organising harvesting operations and in providing transport and food for volunteers.
Urban and rural dwellers responded in great numbers. Shopkeepers and traders donated supplies of tea, sugar, bread and butter. Lorry owners gave the use of their vehicles free of charge to transport volunteers to outlying areas. The needs of individual farmers were identified at local level.
Owners of cars and vans distributed the workers on to farms every morning, returning in the evening to collect them and take them back to the point of transport.
Due to soil conditions and to the prostrate of state of the crop, harvesting, for the most part, had to be done by manual labour. Reapers, armed with scythes, cut the corn into swathes from where it was lifted and tied into sheaves. Workers unfamiliar with the process were shown how to do this.
Having mastered the technique of ‘take and tie,’ volunteers displayed great enthusiasm and an atmosphere of excitement prevailed. The story is told of one young enthusiast from he city who, having mastered the skill of tying sheaves approached the farmer and said to him: ‘Tell me sir, how many loaves of bread will those sheaves make.’
Schythes were swung, sheaves were tied and built into stooks in an overflowing gesture of co-operation and goodwill. Although crops had already suffered considerable damage from adverse weather, through the combined efforts of all concerned, a major proportion of the harvest was saved. A fall of snow in late October covered the remnants of uncut corn and effectively terminated harvesting. As winter set in, farmers counted their losses and hoped for a better year to follow.
In 1947 snow of a dry powdery consistency commenced to fall in the first week of February and continued intermittently for several days. Driven by a penetrating east wind, it drifted until every hollow and depression was filled and the landscape assumed the appearance of a vast white prairie.
Bushes, trees, telephone and power lines disappeared under a massive burden of snow. Freezing temperatures solidified the surface, and it was possible to walk without restriction over submerged trees, pylons and buildings. Roads became impassable, communications were cut off and life in rural districts came to a standstill.
Buses, lorries and cars were abandoned in deep snow drifts, while their occupants took refuge in nearby houses until the roads became passable. Approaches to dwelling houses and farms were cleared by men with spades and shovels – bulldozers weren’t part of the scene for several years afterwards.
Farm animals out-wintered became buried under the snow and were lost in many instances. Farmers trying to locate their stock, looked for telltale signs of minute are funnels in the snow that arose from the breaths of animals trapped underneath. Some were rescued by digging them out.
In towns and cities people co-operated in clearing the snow from roads and footpaths. They suffered severe hardship however from shortages of essential food items. Deliveries of bread, milk, potatoes and vegetables ceased for days on end due to road conditions and the difficulty is assessing supplies of potatoes and vegetables on the farms.
In both town and country elderly people succumbed to cold and exposure. Burials presented especial difficulty due to snow and frozen ground. Coffins were transported in improvised sleighs - usually barn doors taken from their hinges and pulled with ropes. In some instances remains of deceased persons had to be temporarily buried in snow until graves could be opened in the frosty ground.

http://archives.tcm.ie/sligoweekender/2004/01/27/story16169.asp

CDfm

There were other big storms in Ireland's past - 856, 988, 1362, 1548 and 1703 AD. Despite the advances made by science since 1839, we still do not have the means to predict or prevent the next storm of its calibre.

This was the Biggie and here are some excerpts from Mayo Alive

THE STORM

On the evening of Saturday 5th January 1839 heavy snow fell throughout Ireland. The morning was completely calm and the sky was covered with motionless dense cloud. As the morning progressed the temperature rose well above the January average. The snow quickly melted. Unknown to all a deep depression (estimated to have been 918 Millibars at its minimum) was then forming in the north Atlantic. As the warm front which covered the country gradually moved eastwards, and rose in the atmosphere, it was replaced by a cold front which brought with it high winds and heavy rain. The rain commenced before noon in the west and spread very slowly eastwards. In Mayo, the late afternoon turned chilly while the east of the country still enjoyed the unseasonally high temperatures experienced in Mayo earlier that day. At dusk, wind speeds increased, conditions got colder and alternate showers of rain and hail began to fall. By nine o'clock at night the wind had reached gale force and continued to increase. By midnight it had reached hurricane force and remained at that level until five o'clock in the morning when it reduced again to gale force. During the hurricane the wind blew variously from the south-west, west and north-west. Gales continued until six o'clock on Monday evening. At nine o'clock on Monday morning air pressure was at 972.6 Millibars and the temperature was then 4.4. Degrees Celsius in Dublin.

Mayo was creamed

The Ordnance Survey, completed in Co. Mayo in 1838, showed the location of houses, cabins and out-offices existing at that time. Many of these cabins and out-offices were obliterated by the storm causing the maps to be quickly outdated. The antiquarian John O'Donovan described the Big Wind as if "..... the entire country had been swept clean by some gigantic broom." "My Estate is now as bald as the palm of my hand" was the complaint of a Mayo landlord who had seventy-thousand trees felled by the storm on his lands.

For more devastation look here

http://www.mayoalive.com/MagApr23/BigWind.htm

CDfm

Here is a great link to Boyle of 1947 with lots of pics


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[The greatest snowfall of the century It began on the night of Monday 24 February 1947. The greatest snowfall of the century was on its way. Today it is simply remembered as, ”The Blizzard. As I look back to those far off days when I was a young ten year old ,I recall in a special way the words of the poet William Wordsworth when he wrote, “Bliss was it in that dawn to be alive, but to be young was very heaven,” and so it was.
http://homepage.eircom.net/~greenst/blizzardof47.html

MarchDub

CDfm wrote: »

Here is a great link to Boyle of 1947 with lots of pics


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Great photos! Wonder what Dublin looked like? I heard from my own parents that the canals all froze and part of the Liffey around Butt Bridge was frozen.

jonniebgood1

47 & 63 movietones from england http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F7xPmYO8jPs

CDfm

Arcus Arrow

Hello

My mother is 88 years old and remembers the people in the towns and cities were mobilised to help bring in the harvest to save it from the frost. I've talked to a number of older people who have similar tales.

My mothers remembers a documentary that was show on RTE some years ago and later on TG4 about the winter of '47. She can't remember the name or anything else. At least part of it was filmed in Dublin. Would anyone here have any ideas? She remembers working on a farm as a "stookie" which had something to do with gathering sheaf's of hay.

Would anyone know the name of the documentary?

owenc

Oh my grandmother and father talk about the winters back then my dad said that they used to have snow all the way from November to April and that the snow was normally about 3 foot deep And it wasn't uncommon to see snow still in the hedges in June! He said that it got cold aswell in the day it was about 20 f and at night 10f so that's like -6 in the day and -12 at night so quite cold.. I believe they used to skate on the river bann aswell! I think it was frozen this winter which is rare but I don't think anything skated on it..

sninuallain

Hey there! I am actually doing some research at the moment about The Big Freeze of 1947. Does anyone know any Gaeilgeoirí who would remember it? Looking for some interesting people to interview

who the fug

sninuallain wrote: »

Hey there! I am actually doing some research at the moment about The Big Freeze of 1947. Does anyone know any Gaeilgeoirí who would remember it? Looking for some interesting people to interview

Steady, the belief that the Grant Eaters live/lived a different life to the rest of us is how we ended up with Peig

The old dear reckon 63 was worse than 47, given the fact my father had to make a bonfire to thaw out a sand dune so they could bury a stray dog, she may have had a point

pedroeibar1

who the fug wrote: »

Steady, the belief that the Grant Eaters live/lived a different life to the rest of us is how we ended up with Peig

I though the very same – but then tá an droch aimsir níos measa as Gaeilge!
A bit like the aroma of Ambrose, it grows accordingly!Ochón, ochón!

who the fug

pedroeibar1 wrote: »

I though the very same – but then tá an droch aimsir níos measa as Gaeilge!
A bit like the aroma of Ambrose, it grows accordingly!Ochón, ochón!

Bit like the taspie me mother was always knocking out of me , tá an droch aimsir níos measa as Gaeilge! does not translate into Google

I am I the only one who uses many lovely words and phrases in Irish on a daily bases , none of which came from school

sninuallain

Hello! The program is for TG4 so trying to get as many Irish speakers as we can, but we will have some English speakers too

pedroeibar1

who the fug wrote: »

Bit like the taspie me mother was always knocking out of me , tá an droch aimsir níos measa as Gaeilge! does not translate into Google

I am I the only one who uses many lovely words and phrases in Irish on a daily bases , none of which came from school

(The bad weather is worse in Irish)
Taspy/taspey/taspie from teaspach, = ardour. I've also heard it used by a nurse in reference to an infant boy's penis, as in 'Would you look at the little taspey on him!'
My father regularly said 'Him? He's a right stumer!' Never hear that now.

eire4

I remember the snows in 1985 well. It was the only year growing up in Dublin I remember there being any significant snowfalls.

Sheldons Brain

eire4 wrote: »

I remember the snows in 1985 well. It was the only year growing up in Dublin I remember there being any significant snowfalls.

Not old enough to recall '82 then?

nuac

I remember 1947, but I was young at the time.

Great difficulty in getting around.

Much hardship in countryside

eire4

Sheldons Brain wrote: »

Not old enough to recall '82 then?

Can't say that I recall that winter having that much snow.

pedroeibar1

eire4 wrote: »

Can't say that I recall that winter having that much snow.

You've a very bad memory then. Use Google.
Minister for Snow.

gctest50

nuac wrote: »

I remember 1947, but I was young at the time.

Great difficulty in getting around.

Much hardship in countryside

on sale at the minute

Ireland's Arctic Siege of 1947: The Big Freeze of 1947 (Google eBook)

http://books.google.ie/books?id=St_4AwAAQBAJ <<<<<<< few chapters for free here


.

dubhthach

who the fug wrote: »

Steady, the belief that the Grant Eaters live/lived a different life to the rest of us is how we ended up with Peig

--MOD--
Please refrain from any further inflammatory remarks and read the charter.

eire4

pedroeibar1 wrote: »

You've a very bad memory then. Use Google.
Minister for Snow.

Well do enlighten us all O memory God:)

odonnellcarey

eire4 wrote: »

Can't say that I recall that winter having that much snow.

eire4 wrote: »

Well do enlighten us all O memory God:)

No need for a Memory God. As suggested, Google is your friend.
Taken from:
THE BIG SNOWS OF 1947, 1963 & 1982

January 1982 probably stands as the best month ever to be a school kid in Ireland because for much of the month, there was no school. Three short but intense snowstorms painted Ireland white for the best part of three weeks. The heaviest fall was a 36-hour blizzard which began on January 7th. The east was the worst affected area, with Dublin City notching up some 2.5-ft in some parts, while the drifts rose to five and six feet in the suburbs. Hundreds of motorists were rescued from their cars on the Naas dual carriageway. There were a further two weighty falls over a ten day period which, combined with snow showers drifting in from the Irish Sea, added to the snow that had already frozen and compacted on the ground. That made for ideal tobogganing conditions, not least because temperatures were mild either side of the snowstorm, and the hills were alive with youngsters jetting off down the slopes on wooden sleighs, old car bonnets and fertilizer bags. Postmen, milkmen and council workers got around with snow chains while snowmobile sales also rocketed. The government duly appointed the late Michael O’Leary, subsequently nicknamed the ‘Minister for Snow’, to coordinate emergency services. Power cuts and bread and milk shortages were widespread for a while but, talking to anyone who remembers it, you get an overriding sense that everybody secretly loved it.

eire4

Nice find. Maybe 1982 was a few years too early for me as a kid to be able to take full advantage of all the fun possibilities all that snow presented. I remember having a great time playing in the snow in 1985 but not 1982.

pinkypinky

I don't remember it but my parents tell me they bundled me up to play in the snow in 1982. I stepped out of the house into the car port and promptly disappeared. The snow was deep enough to (temporarily) bury a 2 year old!

cameramonkey

In 82 or 84 a man froze to death in a valley above Ballinascorney Gap in Dublin.