From Malin Head to Mizen Head: A Journey Around The Sea Area Forecast

by Joanna Donnelly

The Sea Area Forecast is broadcast daily on RTÉ radio at 6 a.m. and midnight. Foretelling fair days or fierce storms coming in across our seas, it has become a national institution - its hypnotic, rhythmic language as reassuring as the Angelus. Acting as a gentle morning wake-up call and a soothing bedtime lullaby, it transports us to faraway places and describes weather patterns we can’t comprehend. From Mizen Head to Malin, Valentia to Loop Head, and Carlingford Lough to Hook Head - rising or falling slowly, backing south-east to north-east or veering south-to-south-west it has a unique language all of its own, but what does it all mean?

Here, meteorologist Joanna Donnelly takes readers on a journey around Ireland’s Sea Area Forecast, visiting the places that are a familiar part of the daily broadcast and explaining its unique history, language and science.

244 pages, Hardcover

Published December 18, 2023

Reviews

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Discussing the weather is essential learning for any budding conversationalist in Ireland. After this book a speakers knowledge will surpass the language of "sunny spells" and "passing showers". Joanna Donnelly takes us on a clockwise trip around the headlands synonymous with the sea-area forecast. The almost mythical names of these areas are brought to life through personal hikes made by the author and the tours and anecdotes provided to her by keen locals throughout the country. 

[Deborah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Is it just an Irish phenomenon? The obsessive need to talk about the weather. Stopping to talk to a neighbour; the weather. Chatting to the person when paying for shopping;the weather; passing complete strangers walking the dog " Grand day" or more likely " yep it and its down for the day now" . I genuinely don't think I can get through an entire day without some weather mention. The Sea Area Forecast is broadcast twice daily on RTE radio, a constant in so many people's lives. Familiar and soothing listing the headlands around the coast. With this book, Donnelly journeys around Ireland's sea area forecast taking the mystery away from the terms we are all so familiar with but don't always necessarily understand. The book is a gorgeous mix of history, science , nature, anecdotes , people and places.

This was a hugely engaging , informative and accessible read, who knew a book about the weather could be written with such warmth and heart. Joanna Donnelly's obvious passion for the science of weather and its processes is evident throughout and it is always a pleasure to read about a subject that the author is both deeply knowledgeable about whilst being equally enthusiastic about the subject matter.
The detail and stories jump from the page from the origins of an Oscar winning Irish song to the creation of Dollymount beach, the naming of storms and the rich descriptions of the headlands around the Irish coast. A beautiful , entertaining read, it made me want to see more of our country , made me appreciate the twice daily forecasts so much more and provided me with a wealth of new information, just wait until the next person at a bus stop or in a queue engages me in a chat about the weather.

I very much recommend this one for anyone with an interest in Ireland, in the weather or for anyone who enjoys reading about a subject in which the author is passionate about. It's way too early to mention the C word being over two months out but this would be a gorgeous gift. It's one that I will take back off the bookshelf over and over again.

[Peter Thew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Joanna Donnelly's is a familiar face, fronting the TV weather forecast and one of the voices of the twice-daily sea area forecast on radio. So, she is an ideal author for a book of this nature. But she turns it into far more than a trawl around Ireland's coasts. As she travels, she explains the science and practice of weather forecasting outlining why Ireland's weather is the way it is. And she details the exceptions - like storms Emma and Ophelia of recent memory - and what led to their being so dramatic.
One word of warning. Donnelly's weather forecasts are spoken quickly with one idea running into another and this spills over into her writing style. It led to a number of paragraphs having to be read more than once before I could untangle the point she was making. We might have expected a good copy editor to have eradicated this problem.
But this shouldn't discourage you from an excellent introduction to Ireland's weather and coasts.

[Tom MacCasurlaigh · Rating 5 out of 5]

A most enjoyable book describing Joanna's visits to the various weather station locations complimented by titbits of local information & more detailed stories of large weather events in times gone by & events more recent. She should of kept a video blog. A highly recommended read.

[Kevin O · Rating 4 out of 5]

An easy read especially thanks to the depth of Donelly’s scientific knowledge which allows her transform complex weather characteristics into palatable chunks. Educational without being preachy.
Highly recommend this book.

[Ruth McAvinia · Rating 1 out of 5]

I think this book just couldn’t decide what to be and feels a bit chaotic as a result. Probably overly generous of Charlie Connelly to recommend it when he has a much better book on the shipping forecast himself.

[Ciaróg Eile · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wholesome gem of a book, a pleasant mix of meteorology, history and an appreciation for the beauty of the Irish countryside, in an accessible and personal writing style.

[Patchess O'Houlihan · Rating 3 out of 5]

The idea behind this book is a nice one. Joanna Donnelly travelled around Ireland to visit the various places mentioned daily in Met Éireann's Sea Area Forecast. She has said she was inspired by Attention All Shipping: A Journey Round the Shipping ForecastCharlie Connelly's Attention All Shipping which is a book I enjoyed very much. I wish I hadn't had that book in mind when I read this, because it made me wish for more travelogue and less science. To be fair, that wasn't the book Joanna Donnelly set out to write. This book is as much a popular science book as it is a travelogue. As somebody who loves the Irish coastline, I wish there had been more in the book about the places she visited, rather than more science. But that's just me and my tastes. It is a book worth reading anyway, especially if you are interested in weather but don't want to go too far the rabbit hole.