Donegal Postie's Predictions

evolve

taken from Highland Radio website

"A postman from Donegal says the freezing conditions will be here for weeks
Michael Gallagher forecasts the weather by spotting signs in nature.
He reckons a horse grazing near the farmhouse means bad weather and the arrival of a robin tells him snow is on the way.
Michael’s wife Margaret says he’s been telling his customers since early autumn there’ll be a white Christmas"

Seriously hope he's wrong - anyone else spotting signs in nature?

Bruthal

evolve wrote: »

taken from Highland Radio website

"A postman from Donegal says the freezing conditions will be here for weeks
Michael Gallagher forecasts the weather by spotting signs in nature.
He reckons a horse grazing near the farmhouse means bad weather and the arrival of a robin tells him snow is on the way.
Michael’s wife Margaret says he’s been telling his customers since early autumn there’ll be a white Christmas"

Seriously hope he's wrong - anyone else spotting signs in nature?

Yes snow everywhere

evolve

robbie7730 wrote: »

Yes snow everywhere

You are an observant one!

Bruthal

evolve wrote: »

You are an observant one!

Seriously though i was just thinking the same myself, for years we barely seen any snow then last year and now this.

patwicklow

and this aint the end of it will be feb b4 we see any green grass.

evolve

Am curious about folklore of animals' behaviour being used to predict weather though. I've heard of swallows flying lower when rain isn't far off, cattle packing close together before a thunderstorm....I'm sure there's probably loads more like this...

Bruthal

patwicklow wrote: »

and this aint the end of it will be feb b4 we see any green grass.

Yes its normaly jan-early feb when we seem to get the worst of it.

Ali Babba

It's when the horse and the robin come knocking at the door wanting to come in......that's when i'll start worrying!!!:eek:

evolve

Ali Babba wrote: »

It's when the horse and the robin come knocking at the door wanting to come in......that's when i'll start worrying!!!:eek:

In my own wee patch of nature, I noticed that the larger and smaller garden birds are tolerating each other whilst eating the birdfeed I put out - and today the birds were still feeding after dusk....it was the same during the extremely cold spell last January. Also the holly berries appeared much earlier this year.

aboyro

robbie7730 wrote: »

Seriously though i was just thinking the same myself, for years we barely seen any snow then last year and now this.

not sure if we did get snow last year. was last winters snow in jan-feb???

Bruthal

aboyro wrote: »

not sure if we did get snow last year. was last winters snow in jan-feb???

Yes i think it was so in effect we have had 2 artic winters in the same year.

Pangea

http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/video/Irelands-All-Weather-Postman-Michael-Gallagher-Welcomes-The-Recession/Video/201012415864783?lpos=Latest+Video_7&lid=VIDEO_050418_Irish+Postman+Sees+Good+Times+Ahead&videoCategory=Latest+Video

Second white christmas in a row for me, people in New York cant even say that

aboyro

robbie7730 wrote: »

Yes i think it was so in effect we have had 2 artic winters in the same year.

and a great summer. i'll buy that for a dollar!!!!

Bruthal

The snow around my way last week

Bruthal

aboyro wrote: »

and a great summer. i'll buy that for a dollar!!!!

Yes it will be needed after this

Wibbs

evolve wrote: »

In my own wee patch of nature, I noticed that the larger and smaller garden birds are tolerating each other whilst eating the birdfeed I put out - and today the birds were still feeding after dusk....it was the same during the extremely cold spell last January. Also the holly berries appeared much earlier this year.

Noticed the same. I also noticed the small birds are a lot more forward around people too. Well if I count as people. I always give a little chirp as I come out to refill their feeders and over time they've relaxed, but in this recent coldsnap, they barely fly away. The resident robin even more so. He takes advantage of the others nervousness and stands at my feet looking at me while I fill the feeders. I always drop some for him and today I tried hand feeding him. He landed for a brief second but thought better of it. They're cocky little fecks in general though.

isle of man

aboyro wrote: »

not sure if we did get snow last year. was last winters snow in jan-feb???

we had snow on the 5th of jan last year

Min

robbie7730 wrote: »

The snow around my way last week

Nice picture, it also looks like the place was being nuked too.

The Donegal Postie made Sky News

aboyro

isle of man wrote: »

we had snow on the 5th of jan last year

2009???? or this year 2010?

isle of man

sorry this year 2010,
should have said last winter :rolleyes:

Elmer Blooker

aboyro wrote: »

and a great summer. i'll buy that for a dollar!!!!

What was so great about the summer 2010? It was a very average even poor summer but compared to 07,08 and 09 it just appeared to be a good summer.
There was some reasonably good weather in May and early June but July and August were nothing months.

drBill

evolve wrote: »

Am curious about folklore of animals' behaviour being used to predict weather though. I've heard of swallows flying lower when rain isn't far off, cattle packing close together before a thunderstorm....I'm sure there's probably loads more like this...

On the one about the swallows: apparently when atmospheric pressure is lower, as it often is before rain, it causes insects to fly lower which in turn causes the swallows who feed on them to fly lower.

dvet

Elmer Blooker wrote: »

What was so great about the summer 2010? It was a very average even poor summer but compared to 07,08 and 09 it just appeared to be a good summer.
There was some reasonably good weather in May and early June but July and August were nothing months.

That's what I would have thought, but on Met Eireann's website it says that 2010 was one of the top 3 WARMEST years on record... and that's taking into account the crazy freezing january weather, and the crazy freezing nov/dec weather! Can't get my head around it! :eek:

Bruthal

dvet wrote: »

That's what I would have thought, but on Met Eireann's website it says that 2010 was one of the top 3 WARMEST years on record... and that's taking into account the crazy freezing january weather, and the crazy freezing nov/dec weather! Can't get my head around it! :eek:

Well is it an average over the year they gave or the highest temperatures reached. Even if it was an average, only a relatively small percentage of days would be below zero out of the whole year.

Birdnuts

dvet wrote: »

That's what I would have thought, but on Met Eireann's website it says that 2010 was one of the top 3 WARMEST years on record... and that's taking into account the crazy freezing january weather, and the crazy freezing nov/dec weather! Can't get my head around it! :eek:

It was Globally - maybe that was what they were referring to as opposed to little old Eire:)

jd

robbie7730 wrote: »

The snow around my way last week

Is that a cessna citation? One of those blocked the main runway in Dublin Airport on Chistmas Eve

Bruthal

jd wrote: »

Is that a cessna citation? One of those blocked the main runway in Dublin Airport on Chistmas Eve

ha ha no its a multiplex cularis, i have my own runway in the field for it:D

Bruthal

Min wrote: »

Nice picture, it also looks like the place was being nuked too.

Yes a combination of the sun and the lens being scratched right at that spot gives us a nuclear detonation:)

Calibos

robbie7730 wrote: »

ha ha no its a multiplex cularis, i have my own runway in the field for it:D

I was going to point out that I was not aware cesnas had styrofoam canopies

Somehow the fact that you got these shots by fitting a camera to a model aeroplane seems cooler to me than if you were a pilot and took them from out the window

Fantastic pic!

Bruthal

Calibos wrote: »

I was going to point out that I was not aware cesnas had styrofoam canopies

Somehow the fact that you got these shots by fitting a camera to a model aeroplane seems cooler to me than if you were a pilot and took them from out the window

Fantastic pic!

It looks like styrofoam alright, but is nothing like it in reality, elapor foam they call it, very durable. There are some videos from that glider on my youtube site and on boards here and there.

opinion guy

Wibbs wrote: »

Noticed the same. I also noticed the small birds are a lot more forward around people too. Well if I count as people. I always give a little chirp as I come out to refill their feeders and over time they've relaxed, but in this recent coldsnap, they barely fly away. The resident robin even more so. He takes advantage of the others nervousness and stands at my feet looking at me while I fill the feeders. I always drop some for him and today I tried hand feeding him. He landed for a brief second but thought better of it. They're cocky little fecks in general though.

Wibbsy is this were not get married leads to ?? Trying to talk to the birds ??? How many cats have you in the house ??

Dammit I'd better find someone to slap a ring on fast !!!

:P :P

sliabh beagh

have to say i noticed that the birds were doing an incredible amount of singing yesterday. its almost as though they were celebrating the coming of milder weather.

gbee

sliabh beagh wrote: »

have to say i noticed that the birds were doing an incredible amount of singing yesterday. its almost as though they were celebrating the coming of milder weather.

Or that youngfella's birthday? But I also commented on this singing and also the birds were closer too, not on the roof.

mambo

Jan 4th, 2011
"All the signs are that the cold snap is far from over and I think we’re going to have plenty more snow before we put this winter behind us." - Michael Gallagher, Amateur Weatherman
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2011/0104/1224286701699.html

Er, not much snow in January, Michael. See Met Eireann's summary of the month's weather below. And, er, not much snow in February either. Maybe in March, Michael? Or have the animals been misleading you?

"The Weather of January 2011
Cold, dry and sunny
Periods of cold weather at the beginning and end of the month were separated by a short spell of mild, wet and windy conditions around mid-month. There were many dry days during the month and rainfall totals were below normal everywhere, by around 40% generally. It was the driest January for between 10 and 14 years in parts of the west and southwest, and since 2006 in other areas. There were between seven and 15 wetdays during the month (days with 1mm or more rainfall), well below the average for January at most stations. Temperatures rose well above normal for a few days around mid- month, but most of the month was cold with widespread frost, which was severe at times. Mean air temperatures of between 3°C and 5.5°C were around a degree below normal everywhere, but at no station was it as cold as January of last year. There were between 15 and 19 days with air frost at inland stations, compared with the normal number for January in these areas of between nine and 11. Sunshine totals for the month were above normal at all stations and were well above normal in the west and south. Belmullet's total of 87 hours of sunshine was its highest for January since 1985. By far the sunniest period of the month was between the 16th and 23rd."
- Met Eireann
http://www.met.ie/climate/monthly_summarys/jan11sum.pdf

mambo

Another spot-on prediction from Michael:

7 Aug, 2008
"The signs are very good for a nice spread of dry weather from now on. I'm very confident of that"
http://www.independent.ie/national-news/postman-delivers-good-news----at-last-1448299.html

"August was a month of exceptionally heavy rain over most of the country, bringing flooding in many areas."
http://www.met.ie/climate/monthly_summarys/aug08.pdf
"Following the very wet weather of the summer months, the first half of September brought more heavy rainfall in many areas"
http://www.met.ie/climate/monthly_summarys/sep08sum.pdf

Sponge Bob

I prefer him to Ken Ring and the "frog spawning pattern" expert down in Kerry all the same

Not

mambo wrote: »

Another spot-on prediction from Michael:

7 Aug, 2008
"The signs are very good for a nice spread of dry weather from now on. I'm very confident of that"
http://www.independent.ie/national-news/postman-delivers-good-news----at-last-1448299.html

"August was a month of exceptionally heavy rain over most of the country, bringing flooding in many areas."
http://www.met.ie/climate/monthly_summarys/aug08.pdf
"Following the very wet weather of the summer months, the first half of September brought more heavy rainfall in many areas"
http://www.met.ie/climate/monthly_summarys/sep08sum.pdf

Donegal postie for Taoiseach ? Seems to have the right credentials... :pac:

dsmythy

The guy gets his fame from heavily promoting the times he is right and being utterly silent when he is wrong.

Pangea

mambo wrote: »

Another spot-on prediction from Michael:

Now start posting all the times he got his predictions right, oh wait theres not enough room in the thread :P

thetonynator

Pangea wrote: »

Now start posting all the times he got his predictions right, oh wait theres not enough room in the thread :P

pangea, we all know that you're actually the postman, now come out into the open and defend yourself!

Pangea

thetonynator wrote: »

pangea, we all know that you're actually the postman, now come out into the open and defend yourself!

lol