Cork weather forecast

The overall impression of Irish weather, winter, spring, summer, or autumn is - Rain!

That can be true of some parts of Ireland, namely the western slopes of any mountainous or hilly region but within even some of these places, there are what is known as Microclimates. Areas of almost sub tropical warmth caused by the Gulf Stream and flukes of weather that can seriously reduce the mean annual rainfall.

The Seven Heads Peninsula, on which Butlerstown House is built, is one of those places. Since records began, way back in the mid nineteenth century, rainfall has been measured for this area annually, and from these readings the mean annual rainfall has consistently recorded just 88 millimetres of rain per year!

Just twenty minutes drive away in the town of Bandon, the mean average is 280 mm of rain per year, the reason being the high ground behind the town. We have been shopping in Bandon in pouring rain, to come home to dry roads and blue sky, whilst all around are black rolling clouds depositing buckets of rain on the surrounding countryside.

On many occasions we have enjoyed a swim in one of the many sandy coves just a few minutes from the house, sun beating down out of an azure sky whilst just a few miles away rain has stopped play!