It’s the shortest day of the year.
Today is the winter solstice and the astronomical first day of winter in the Northern Hemisphere.
We’re at our furthest point from the sun in Ireland at a minute to four this afternoon.
The morning solstice will be celebrated at the passage tomb at Knockroe in the Lingaun Valley in South Kilkenny at 8:40am.
And there’ll be an event from 3:40pm for the sunset with expert Professor Muiris O’Sullivan but the forecast is for clouds so the sun’s rays are not likely to shine down the passage onto the back stones this year.
Alan O’Reilly of Carlow Weather says anyone expecting to see the sunrise this morning may be disappointed; “Unfortunately there’s going to be a lot of cloud around again this morning, now there will be some local spots that could get lucky with a break in the clouds but unfortunately most areas will see cloud for the sunrise so it is going to really be a very few areas that might just get lucky with a break in the cloud for the sunrise”.
Prof O’Sullivan says Knockroe is special because it’s aligned with the sunrise and the sunset on the solstices, unlike Newgrange which is only aligned to the morning sun.
