Photograph: Brenda FitzsimonsWe may sing it, paint it, bet on it and even think we remember it, but the likelihood of actually experiencing a white Christmas in Ireland is low. Met Éireann records reveal that since 1961 there have been just nine Christmas days when snow was recorded as lying on the ground at 9am – the strict standard adopted for measuring such events. Broadening out the criteria, there were 16 Christmas days when snow fell somewhere at some stage during the day. The last time there was a proper white Christmas in terms of snow falling just about everywhere was in 2010. That held the snow for the obligatory white Christmas photos although by New Year’s Eve, the big freeze had been replaced by the big slush.

Source: The Irish Times December 23, 2025 18:03 UTC