Evelyn Cusack and Séamus Walsh joined Irish Farmers Journal deputy co-editor Adam Woods on stage at the Women & Agriculture conference this week. Between tales of storms, snow and sunshine, they reflected on decades of forecasting, and on how the Irish never tire of talking about rain.
Life in the weather lane
“I’m a very happy girl now, retired two years,” Evelyn began, beaming at the crowd. Séamus smiled beside her. “I retired just before COVID,” he said. “Evelyn had this idea for a book, and when she retired, there was no escape.”
That book, They Say It Might Rain, distils their shared knowledge and humour from years spent studying the Irish skies.
They first met in 1982, working in Met Éireann’s forecast office, back when every observation was drawn by hand. “We’d literally map out the weather with pencils,” Séamus recalled. “And someone would cycle through the rain to deliver the charts to RTÉ.” Evelyn laughed. “You’d see them pedalling through Dublin with the forecast strapped to their back, usually getting soaked.”
Weather versus climate
The conversation soon turned from nostalgia to climate change. “Weather is what we have today, rain, sun or wind,” Evelyn explained. “Climate is the long-term pattern of that weather.”
Séamus added, “Ireland is about 1.5 degrees warmer than a century ago, and that affects everything – rainfall, crops, even water quality. The growing season is longer, but wetter winters make it harder to get onto land early in the year.”
He noted that while Ireland escapes some extremes, the pace of change is the problem. “When climate changes slowly, nature adapts. But when it happens fast, plants, animals – even people – struggle to keep up.”
The conversation was chaired by Adam Woods, deputy co-editor, Irish Farmers Journal. \ Claire Nash
The Beast from the East
Evelyn and Séamus still remember the Beast from the East in 2018, which brought the country to a standstill. “My wife had to dig me out in Blessington,” Séamus laughed. “I had to get to the Office of Emergency Planning.” Evelyn had been working there for five days straight. “My poor little girl was at home freezing,” she said, “because I’d set the heating timer wrong!”
The story drew laughter, but Evelyn reminded the audience that forecasting carries real weight. “When you issue a weather warning, people make decisions – whether to send children to school, move livestock or stay off the roads. You have to get it right.”
From pencils to satellites
Forecasting has changed enormously. “When I started, we had to draw every chart,” Evelyn said. “In 1990 we launched the farming forecast, and trying to predict a week ahead was nearly impossible. Now, ten-day forecasts offer solid guidance. It’s not perfect, but it’s improving all the time.”
Still, Séamus said, weather will never be fully predictable. “It’s chaotic. Even when it sounds definite, a forecast is really our best estimate.”
A country shaped by rain
For Irish farmers, rainfall shapes everything. “We average about a metre of rain a year,” Séamus said. “Some years it’s 700 millimetres, some years 1,500. Managing water will be a real challenge—especially for cities. We’ve always had plenty, so we never had to think about shortages.”
Fact or fiction?
Before wrapping up, Adam Woods tested them on a few old sayings. “Red sky at night, shepherd’s delight?”
“Mostly true,” Séamus nodded. “It’s sunlight reflecting off clouds.”
“A wet and windy May fills the haggard with corn and hay?” Evelyn grinned. “Not really.”
Meterologists Evelyn Cusack discussing her new book, They Say It Might Rain. / Claire Nash.
And as for animals predicting the weather? “They respond to what’s happening, not what’s coming,” Evelyn said. “If swallows fly low, it’s only because the insects have dropped. They’re just following their dinner.”
Looking ahead
When asked for a special forecast to close the session, Evelyn didn’t hesitate. “I feel it in my bones – it’s going to be a fantastic weekend!”
It was the perfect ending to a talk that mixed science, humour and heart. For all the charts and satellites, the Irish relationship with weather remains deeply rooted in stories, sayings and an unshakable optimism.
And as They Say It Might Rain shows, behind every forecast is a little bit of both: Séamus’s steady realism and Evelyn’s belief that, somehow, the sun will shine.
They Say It Might Rain by Evelyn Cusack and Séamus Walsh is published by Gill Books and available in all good bookshops.
Evelyn Cusack and Séamus Walsh joined Irish Farmers Journal deputy co-editor Adam Woods on stage at the Women & Agriculture conference this week. Between tales of storms, snow and sunshine, they reflected on decades of forecasting, and on how the Irish never tire of talking about rain.
Life in the weather lane
“I’m a very happy girl now, retired two years,” Evelyn began, beaming at the crowd. Séamus smiled beside her. “I retired just before COVID,” he said. “Evelyn had this idea for a book, and when she retired, there was no escape.”
That book, They Say It Might Rain, distils their shared knowledge and humour from years spent studying the Irish skies.
They first met in 1982, working in Met Éireann’s forecast office, back when every observation was drawn by hand. “We’d literally map out the weather with pencils,” Séamus recalled. “And someone would cycle through the rain to deliver the charts to RTÉ.” Evelyn laughed. “You’d see them pedalling through Dublin with the forecast strapped to their back, usually getting soaked.”
Weather versus climate
The conversation soon turned from nostalgia to climate change. “Weather is what we have today, rain, sun or wind,” Evelyn explained. “Climate is the long-term pattern of that weather.”
Séamus added, “Ireland is about 1.5 degrees warmer than a century ago, and that affects everything – rainfall, crops, even water quality. The growing season is longer, but wetter winters make it harder to get onto land early in the year.”
He noted that while Ireland escapes some extremes, the pace of change is the problem. “When climate changes slowly, nature adapts. But when it happens fast, plants, animals – even people – struggle to keep up.”
The conversation was chaired by Adam Woods, deputy co-editor, Irish Farmers Journal. \ Claire Nash
The Beast from the East
Evelyn and Séamus still remember the Beast from the East in 2018, which brought the country to a standstill. “My wife had to dig me out in Blessington,” Séamus laughed. “I had to get to the Office of Emergency Planning.” Evelyn had been working there for five days straight. “My poor little girl was at home freezing,” she said, “because I’d set the heating timer wrong!”
The story drew laughter, but Evelyn reminded the audience that forecasting carries real weight. “When you issue a weather warning, people make decisions – whether to send children to school, move livestock or stay off the roads. You have to get it right.”
From pencils to satellites
Forecasting has changed enormously. “When I started, we had to draw every chart,” Evelyn said. “In 1990 we launched the farming forecast, and trying to predict a week ahead was nearly impossible. Now, ten-day forecasts offer solid guidance. It’s not perfect, but it’s improving all the time.”
Still, Séamus said, weather will never be fully predictable. “It’s chaotic. Even when it sounds definite, a forecast is really our best estimate.”
A country shaped by rain
For Irish farmers, rainfall shapes everything. “We average about a metre of rain a year,” Séamus said. “Some years it’s 700 millimetres, some years 1,500. Managing water will be a real challenge—especially for cities. We’ve always had plenty, so we never had to think about shortages.”
Fact or fiction?
Before wrapping up, Adam Woods tested them on a few old sayings. “Red sky at night, shepherd’s delight?”
“Mostly true,” Séamus nodded. “It’s sunlight reflecting off clouds.”
“A wet and windy May fills the haggard with corn and hay?” Evelyn grinned. “Not really.”
Meterologists Evelyn Cusack discussing her new book, They Say It Might Rain. / Claire Nash.
And as for animals predicting the weather? “They respond to what’s happening, not what’s coming,” Evelyn said. “If swallows fly low, it’s only because the insects have dropped. They’re just following their dinner.”
Looking ahead
When asked for a special forecast to close the session, Evelyn didn’t hesitate. “I feel it in my bones – it’s going to be a fantastic weekend!”
It was the perfect ending to a talk that mixed science, humour and heart. For all the charts and satellites, the Irish relationship with weather remains deeply rooted in stories, sayings and an unshakable optimism.
And as They Say It Might Rain shows, behind every forecast is a little bit of both: Séamus’s steady realism and Evelyn’s belief that, somehow, the sun will shine.
They Say It Might Rain by Evelyn Cusack and Séamus Walsh is published by Gill Books and available in all good bookshops.
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