On this day in 1881, the lowest temperature ever recorded in Ireland came in at a chilly -19.1 C (-2.38 F) at Markree Castle in County Sligo.
As the cold and the snow sweeps across the island this week, it comes around the same time that the lowest temperature was ever recorded in Ireland.
It might be 3 C (37.4 F) in County Sligo today, but 143 years ago, on 16 January 1881, the lowest temperature ever in Ireland was recorded at a chilly -19.1 C (-2.38 F).
The lowest temperature ever recorded in Ireland – Co. Sligo
It has been 143 years since the lowest temperature ever was recorded in Ireland. The location – Markree Castle in County Sligo, to be specific.
Markree Castle is home to one of Ireland’s longest-running weather stations, which was originally linked to its world-class observatory. The observatory was home to the world’s largest telescope for a period during the 1800s.
So, the region is no stranger to the cold. However, while the cold weather rages on throughout Ireland, the weather actually sits around 3 C (37.4 F) in Sligo right now, with lows of -2 C (28.4 F) later in the day.
Markree Castle – the history
Markree Castle is a 17th-century Irish castle located along the Wild Atlantic Way in County Sligo. It’s set on a 500-acre country estate and now operates as a family-run hotel.
It wasn’t always a luxury hotel, though. The castle is the ancestral seat of the Cooper family, partially moated by the River Unshin.
It was in 1663 that Cornet Edward Cooper, who was serving under Cromwell at the time, was allotted the original 14th-century Markree Castle and the surrounding land.
The castle has a fascinating and storied history, including once being occupied by the Catholic army while King James attempted to regain the throne.
This forced the Coopers to flee, but once the Battle of the Boyne was over, they returned to the castle for centuries to come.
This excludes a brief period during the Irish Civil War in 1920 when the castle was occupied by the Irish Free State army.
In 2015, after four centuries of Cooper ownership, the castle changed hands and is now run by the Corscadden family, who also own Cabra Castle Hotel in County Cavan, Ballyseede Castle Hotel in County Kerry, and Bellingham Castle in County Louth.
Weather in Ireland – rare extremes
Extreme heat and cold are both rare occasions throughout Ireland, so -19.1 C (-2.38 F) is an utter anomaly.
Temperatures below –10 C (14 F) in Ireland are extremely rare in the lowlands of the country. However, temperatures in the Wicklow Mountains are said to reach this level of cold annually.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, the highest temperature ever recorded in Ireland was 33.3 C (91.94) at Kilkenny Castle, County Kilkenny, on 26 June 1887.
Interestingly, six of the warmest ten years in Ireland’s history have occurred since 1990. Due to climate change, it is estimated that the temperatures across the country will rise by up to 3.4 C (38.12) by the end of the century.
