As a veteran of previous snowfalls, our man David Power takes a look at previous snowstorms and makes the case that the snowfall in 1982 was the best.
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Snowfall such as last week’s one literally leave a lifetime of memories, as did previous heavy snow episodes in the country.
Due to the heavy snowfall last week thanks to the ‘Beast from the East’, the wintry episode drew comparisons to a similar episode in 1982.
Certainly, the snow fell in similar volumes then, although the episode in the 1980s lasted much longer than the most recent one.
Ireland was a very different country then to the one it is now. The Rolling Stones were one of the headline acts to play the country, Fine Gael was in a coalition government and Ireland was about to face into a divisive abortion referendum.
Fast forward over thirty years and er … actually, not that much has changed.
Laois people will be hoping that Offaly won’t go on to win an All-Ireland, like they did that year (I think those fears are unfounded).
The snowfall in that year also brought the country to a standstill. With bread scarce, riots actually broke out in 1982. Last week the absent arán was also a source of concern, although the memes and jokes did get a bit stale (groan).
Certainly in 1982, the country found itself in a more isolated state. Not every house had a landline and there wasn’t extensive television coverage, as there was over the past week.
Now, a large percentage of homes have broadband and mobile phones are ubiquitous.
Children can even play games with pals online as Fortnite continues its hold on the attention of the country’s youth, which shows no signs of thawing.
Footage
In the 1980s, you waited to catch up on what was happening at the 6 pm news and the country marvelled at aerial coverage thanks to the Irish Air Corps. Now we can view impressive footage captured by drones from around the county and beyond.
If that wasn’t enough, we had Ciaran Mullooly embedded in the midlands to provide daily coverage of what was happening in the main towns and villages.
During heavy snowfalls, which are still rare enough in Ireland, there are universal joys which every generation experiences.
The building of snowmen, igloos and attempts at sleighing – whether through makeshift sleds or shop-bought ones – all leave lasting memories long after the snow has receded.
School closures are a source of joy for students. The schools seemed to close for weeks on end in the ‘80s due to old boilers, which constantly burst. Come to think of it, we should probably have some sort of dispensation and financial support due to the gaps in our education from that time!
When the snow finally thaws, the amount snowfall of gets exaggerated and each generation delcares their snow to be the best.
My own father still talks of the snow in ‘47 and the country being cut-off for weeks. His recollection of his father attempting to open the door after the first heavy overnight snowfall is still a vivid one. Never mind a bread shortage, they even ran out of oats to make porridge!
When a rare episode of snow does arrive, it gives us an opportunity to dust down our inner child. We might claim to be sick of the snow, but secretly it’s an opportunity to engage in snowball fights and a nostalgic trip down memory lane.
Knowledge
We also get the opportunity to impart some knowledge from our own snow experience. Never mind snow boots, wellies with a pair of football socks will do the job. And it has to be a pair of O’Neill’s socks for the heavy soles!
While undoubtedly heavy snow does cause hardship, it creates memories and an experience of a lifetime for many generations, when communities come together.
The Dead by James Joyce finishes by commenting on the unifying character of snow. As the story closes, Gabriel Conroy’s soul swoons as he hears “the snow falling faintly through the universe and faintly falling, like the descent of their last end, upon all the living and the dead”.
Who are we to argue with Jimmy Joyce?
SEE ALSO – Emergency staff to be pampered around Laois this week
