Ah lads! Have we ever had it so good? I know there was 1995. Some old-timers remember 1976. The 2000s had some memorable moments, even last year was hailed as the hottest summer on record since 1900 when the temperature dataset began. Before last summer my benchmark was 1995. However, 2026 will now go down as the best summer ever.
I’ll take a minute to acknowledge that it hasn’t exactly been great for everyone. Some farmers have had to use their winter stocks of hay early because the fields are so parched. Hosepipe bans and water restrictions have also been a plague in some parts.
Notwithstanding the problems, for many of us summer 2026 was pure bliss. I will admit that I loved every single sunny day.
I have never got into the ocean as often – not even in 1995! I have discovered new beautiful places to swim in West Cork. In fact, it is almost impossible to believe that on the first weekend of June 2026 we were huddling in our winter coats as the rain drenched us out in Allihies! It hardly seems possible that this is the same summer. The balmy days, bright blue skies and appealing Atlantic Ocean make West Cork as gobsmackingly beautiful as any beautiful place of Earth – and better than many. I am the lovely light brown colour that is my ethnic heritage (Spanish/Italian), instead of the sickly pale green, grey of winter. I have enjoyed terrace life for three months. We sit around outside before and after dinner and on sunny afternoons. Even the nights when it felt a tad too hot have been delightful. Sleeping with all the windows open and just a light sheet is great, and I pity those of you who cannot enjoy it.
What can I say – I’m a Mediterranean who relishes the heat. Or at least the Med of my childhood. While we have mostly enjoyed the good weather here, in other parts of Europe it has been Hell. An official heatwave in Ireland is declared by Met Éireann when a weather station records five or more consecutive days at 25 degrees Celsius or above. A higher temperature would rarely be met in Ireland due to its maritime climate. In fact, despite climate change, it is unlikely that we will ever see consistent temperatures of over 40C. A run of 26 degrees Celsius or more, as we had in July, is a genuine heatwave in Ireland, even though it would barely register in Spain. In fact, it would be welcomed as a “fresh” day.
The same heat dome that gave Ireland its 2026 ‘heatwave’ pushed temperatures past 40 degrees Celsius across Spain, Portugal, Italy and southern France. The UK was also roasting. I grew up in Belgium, which used to have a quite similar climate to Ireland with perhaps more sun in the summer and more snow in the winter. This summer Belgium has been sweltering with several heatwaves of 36C. When I was a child 28C was a major heatwave. People suffer because the buildings are not made for the heat, rather they are built for cold winters.
For travellers trying to escape extreme heat, Ireland sits firmly in the comfortable zone, which is why it works well as a cooler-summer alternative. I keep meeting Spanish and Italians who love the lower temperature of our wild Atlantic shores. After staying indoors in the dark during the day for most of the summer, our visitors from the South relish our cooler climes. I even met some who were deliria with a sudden downpour.
I got a taste for what they were talking about when we popped over to Spain to visit a cousin for a few days. When we arrived it was over 36C. Thankfully the temperature dropped a bit after that. After living in West Cork for over thirty years 36C is tough. At least most bars restaurants and other public spaces have AC. Terraces in the shade abound and there are lots of lovely drinks to keep you hydrated. I found myself using cold water bottles as a cold compress on my neck and wrists to cool down. One thing for sure, we weren’t going to be walking around during the day. Or standing in a queue for that matter. Apart from visiting with my cousin and a lot of bar and restaurant hopping – we did very little. It was just too hot. It was lovely to get back home to 22C and even a spot of rain. Our goldilocks weather this summer truly hit the sweet spot – long may it last. Before you know it, we’ll be back to dark afternoons, huddled by the fire as the wind and rain lashes around the house!
