Kilkenny holds the title for the hottest temperature ever recorded on the island of Ireland – but how much longer can they keep it?
The hottest temperature ever recorded on the island of Ireland was recorded in Kilkenny.
It was Sunday, June 26, 1887, when the mercury hit 33.3C at Kilkenny Castle.
Despite questions over the reliability of the data and the circumstances in which it was gathered, the 138-year-old record still stands. But for how much longer?
Met Éireann has observed a rise in the “frequency, duration and intensity of extremely hot weather” in recent decades.
On June 29, 1976, a temperature of 32.5C was recorded in Boora, Co Offaly. On July 19, 2005, the Co Roscommon town of Elphin came close to that figure, with temperatures hitting 32.3C.
On July 18, 2022, Phoenix Park blew past both, hitting its highest ever temperature (33C) since data was first recorded there in the early 1800s.
And so, with just 0.3C in the difference, Kilkenny’s record edges ever closer to being lost in a continually warming Ireland.
But the climate crisis has the potential to cost the county much more than a title.
Over the last decade, powerful storms have wreaked havoc across Kilkenny.
In 2015, Storm Frank left us the indelible memory of then-tánaiste Joan Burton falling from a boat while touring a flooded Thomastown.
In 2016, Storm Darwin claimed some of Woodstock Gardens’ most impressive trees.
In 2023, Thomastown was hit badly once again when Storm Babet tried to submerge the town.
Millions have already been spent on flood defences in the county, but with extreme rains a rising risk it could cost tens of millions more in the years to come. Former junior nature minister Malcolm Noonan – a serving senator and a Kilkenny man – has said “the flooding issue is quite significant”.
“I think using nature, working with nature on a catchment scale, has to be the way forward,” he said.
It’s not just rural Kilkenny; it’s Kilkenny city that’s impacted as well
Early last year, Storm Éowyn did its worst in other parts of the country, but, in Kilkenny, its fierce winds still ripped up roofs, left almost 10,000 without power and caused severe damage to forests.
While these storms are behind us, leaving extensive clean-up operations in their wake, Kilkenny County Council’s Climate Action Plan highlights how even more extremes lie ahead.
How your county is weighing in on fighting climate change
According to the action plan, the number of very wet days is up 26.86pc, while the number of wet days is up 12.34pc.
As the county is crossed by the beautiful ‘Three Sisters’ – the rivers Barrow, Nore and Suir – the council’s community climate action officer, Breda Maher, said “it’s the flooding” that poses the county’s biggest climate challenge.
“Inistioge, Thomastown, Graiguenamanagh… There were shops that actually flooded on Patrick Street in Kilkenny, which had never been seen before,” Ms Maher said.
“It’s not just rural Kilkenny; it’s Kilkenny city that’s impacted as well.
“That would be the biggest challenge Kilkenny as a city and as a county has to face, followed by general storm damage, which affects everywhere.”
A flit through news archives and you can see the Nore-adjacent market town of Thomastown has flooded multiple times in the last decade, with that resulting from Storm Frank described as the “worst flooding since 1968”.
It was almost matched in severity by Storm Babet, then the town was flooded again last November during Storm Claudia.
There is also an impact on bridges, many of which hold historic, heritage and tourism value on top of being essential infrastructure for local residents.
Sarah Kent, the county council’s climate action regional officer, said: “There will be a bridges programme in the council under [the roads programme]. That’s a set programme each year – upgrade works. There’s a significant amount of work in it.”
But with more weather events taking place and more damage being done, Ms Kent said the council needs more funding allocated to those programmes.
By 2030, Kilkenny must halve the 1,945,450 tonnes of carbon emissions pumped out across the county in 2018.
Some groups in Kilkenny are actively objecting against windfarms
Yet despite the current 19.6-tonnes-per-person estimate, controversy still surrounds solutions like windfarms. According to Mr Noonan, “there’s still a couple of groups that are very active in objecting to them”.
The senator added: “I would be of the view that wind energy companies really do need to engage with communities very early on in the process – long before they have submitted a planning application.”
While debates rage on, Kilkenny County Council is trying to lower emissions in other ways.
The council’s action plan outlines a countywide range of plans, including cycle networks, enhanced pedestrian spaces, extended greenways and more bike share schemes.
Kilkenny was the first urban centre in the southeast – and the second nationwide – to roll out an e-bikes scheme, and a new greenway is well under way.
“There’s the greenway between New Ross and Waterford that is in development,” said Johan Muller, the council’s energy officer. “Thirteen kilometres have been completed and they are at the design phase for the remaining 10km.
It’s getting easier, but you will always have certain challenges
“Afterwards, there’s a plan to create new greenways at different stages ... if there’s funding.”
And, in addition to encouraging active travel among Kilkenny’s residents, the council is also looking into reducing emissions from its own buildings and fleet.
Kilkenny city was chosen as the county’s decarbonising zone. According to Ms Kent, a district heating system is something the council is assessing the feasibility of implementing.
The city’s historic streets, however, may limit where district heating pipes can go, Mr Muller added.
Community action is a focus for Ms Maher and her colleague, Claire Prendergast, who said that, following phase two of the council’s outreach plans, people are starting to get to grips with what the climate crisis means and what meaningful changes they can make.
“It’s getting easier, but you will always have certain challenges,” Ms Maher said.
“I don’t think it’s as hot a topic as housing, transport, cost of living, immigration... Climate is probably further down on the priority list.”