Weatherbeaten

Date Published: 22-Aug-2008

THE Summer months have been a washout for Galway businesses dependent on the tourism industry due to exceptionally heavy rainfall and the outlook for 2009 may be bleak, according to Fáilte Ireland West.

The city experienced extensive flooding during the months of June and August, and recorded rainfall totals for the month of July were above normal at every weather station in the country except Belmullet and up to twice normal levels elsewhere.

This has proven disastrous for the local tourism industry and weather-dependent businesses. Nora Perks of Perks Funfair in Salthill told the Galway City Tribune: “This has been the worst year ever in Galway and this is my 28th year here. It has been absolutely disastrous for us because we are totally weather dependent and we get the brunt of the bad weather coming in from the bay. It has been the worst season that I can remember in terms of rainfall.”

The poor weather this summer follows a similarly disappointing season in 2007. “It has been terrible for the last three years,” Nora remarked. “There are less foreign tourists around this year and the Irish colleges have always been a great asset to us but we’ve received several cancellations from them because of the weather.”

Brian Quinn of Fáilte Ireland West suggested that the apparent climate change necessitates a change in the nature of…