Joanna Donnelly

The Sea Area Forecast is broadcast daily on RTÉ radio at 6 a.m. and midnight. Foretelling fair days or fierce storms coming in across our seas, it has become a national institution – its hypnotic, rhythmic language as reassuring as the Angelus. Acting as a gentle morning wake-up call and a soothing bedtime lullaby, it transports us to faraway places and describes weather patterns we can’t comprehend. From Mizen Head to Malin, Valentia to Loop Head, and Carlingford Lough to Hook Head – rising or falling slowly, backing south-east to north-east or veering south-to-south-west – it has a unique language all of its own, but what does it all mean? Here, meteorologist Joanna Donnelly takes readers on a journey around Ireland’s Sea Area Forecast, visiting the places that are a familiar part of the daily broadcast and explaining its unique history, language and science.

There’s nothing the Irish like more than talking about the weather! Here meteorologist Joanna Donnelly explains what weather is and how it happens. From cold fronts to climate change, satellites to storms, this book contains everything you’ve ever wanted to know about the weather. Beautifully illustrated by Fuchsia MacAree, and containing lots of interesting facts and experiments, this is a book that every curious child will love.