Fed up Irish holidaymakers head for the sun
Last minute travel deals are being snapped up by Irish holidaymakers disillusioned by the continuing bad weather, the Irish Travel Agents’ Association said today.
Data from Met Éireann confirmed June was one of the wettest on record, and July is shaping up to be much of the same.
The forecast for the coming week is a mix of sunny spells interspersed with thundery downpours and strong winds.
While the rain managed to stay off for the first day of the Oxegen concert in Co Kildare, car parks have been closed because of sodden soil.
Gardaí urged all festival goers to use public transport.
ITAA chief executive Simon Nugent said a snap survey of travel agents nationwide taken yesterday showed a 20-30% increase in the number of late bookings received.
“A lot of people are coming into travel agents around the country and just saying we need emergency sun, and can you do anything for us,” he said.
The most popular destinations include Spain, Portugal and Turkey.
Met Éireann said this week that Dublin’s Phoenix Park was the wettest place in the state last month, with almost seven inches of rain falling.
The inclement weather has also resulted in a number of freak occurrences, including an electrical storm in Co Kerry which cut power and plunged thousands of homes into darkness, and flooding in Rathfarnham, Co Dublin, after a burst of torrential rain.
And on Thursday disaster was narrowly averted when strong winds capsized boats during a junior regatta in Dun Laoghaire, sparking a major rescue operation when more than 100 teenagers ended up in the water.
But even though revellers were almost washed away queuing at the Oxegen Festival campsite yesterday and the forecast for tomorrow signalling yet more rain, an event spokesman said the poor weather had failed to deter music fans.
About 50,000 have packed Punchestown for the two-day extravaganza which will feature high-profile acts such as Snow Patrol, the Scissor Sisters, Daft Punk and Arcade Fire.
