I've been in Ireland for about 5 months now and it seems like the temperature hardly varies much. I checked online and found out that the annual temperature here is about 48 degrees Farenheit. In the summer, the average temperature is about 66 degrees F and in the winter, the average temperature is about 37 degrees F. So you can see that no matter what, you're probably going to be wearing a jacket when you go out. If it's sunny, you might be able to take off your jacket, but if it's cloudy or rainy, you'll need it.
I've found that umbrellas are kind of useless here. Yes, you need them to keep the rain off of you, but if it's raining, usually the wind is blowing too, and if you're using an umbrella, then you have to fight the wind to keep it from blowing the umbrella inside out. Before I moved here, my friend SheriBerri gave all the YaYa's a rain scarf that folds up into a little packet you can carry in your purse. It hardly takes up any space at all, so I carry it all the time and have used it lots. Last time I went to the States, I also bought another rain hat/scarf. It ties under my chin, but if the wind is blowing, it tends to catch the wind and it blows back. Maybe I didn't have it tied tight enough. Anyway, a rain hat or scarf and a raincoat is the best thing to wear and just forget the umbrella. That way your arm doesn't get tired from holding the umbrella up all the time. One more thing I noticed is that if it's raining, you also need to make sure your shoes can hold up to the rain. I have one pair of shoes that I love to wear, but if it's raining forget it. They don't shed the water well enough and soak up the moisture. Make sure you have sturdy shoes also, because a lot of towns have cobblestone or rough brick walkways and it's harder to walk on.
You just have to forget the rain here. Never post-pone your plans because of rain. First of all, it never really rains that hard for that long. Last Saturday we went into Dublin to go shopping. It was raining, so we had our raincoats and hats/scarf. We really lucked out though, because as we were sitting in the Hard Rock Cafe waiting for out lunch, we looked out the window and saw that it was pouring down rain. It was actually kind of funny to see the Soaking Wet People come in for lunch. I mean, they were really Wet. By the time we finished our lunch, the rain had stopped.
One fashion accessory I have found to be not only fashionable but functionable here is a neck scarf. Women wear them here with and without coats. If you're going to be walking outdoors you can't believe how much warmer it is just to have a scarf around your neck. My favorite is the really long ones that you double in half and then stick the fringed end through the loop. Gloves are another thing that really come in handy. I saw several women in Dublin Saturday with gloves on. Another way gloves come in handy is when you go sight-seeing and you go up and down stairs, you can hold on to the railing with your gloved hand and not feel like you're picking up 10,000 germs. That's also why machine washable gloves are best. Just toss them in the wash after a day of sight-seeing.
The annual number of days with more than 1 mm of rain varies between about 150 in the drier parts and over 200 in the wetter parts of the country.
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