What clothes should we pack for a trip to Ireland in June?

In addition to hearing from people with boots-on-the-ground experience, you might take a look at the historical hour-by-hour weather graphs you can find on wunderground.com.

dress in layers so we can prepare for most anything

yes that's all you can do - the weather can change by the hour

if the raincoat keeps you dry why take an umbrella?

you might have a heatwave, it may only rain overnight (or not at all where you are)

wouldn't waste my time looking at historical averages

" If you do not like the weather, wait 5 minutes...." that is what we were told last summer and it was so true.... we saw it all. Layers will be your best friend. Most mornings, especially on the West Coast, I would start the day with a t-shirt, sweater and my light wind breaker/water proof jacket. I would then take the jacket off, then the sweater then put them back on etc.
I would for sure bring an umbrella as well. Sunglasses and a hat ( I used a ball cap) are also a must
We brought shorts and that was as waste of suitcase space.

I was on west coast 19 years ago- going in July with my son. Layers are your best friend! I was there 21 days and it only rained 1 and was sunny the rest; I know that will not happen this time. Definitely have a jacket (waterproof) and have a warm sweater since mornings are cool and it gets chilly at night after the sun goes down. I agree shorts are a waste of time.

Having family in Western Ireland, I've been in June many times. The historic average temperatures are useless information. It will most definitely change from day to day or even hour by hour. I've been in Ireland in early to mid August and still been really cold despite wearing a long sleeve shirt, fleece pullover and jacket on top of everything (and I'm from New England, so it's not like I'm completely not used to cold weather). If you are planning to spend any significant time out along the coastal areas walking, I would also suggest bringing a hat and lightweight gloves as it can be really windy and raw depending on what's happening with the weather that day. Some people just use the hood of their raincoat (if it comes with one), but I prefer a knit or fleece hat as they seem to stay on better in high winds.

A heat wave to the Irish is any day that's over 75 degrees. Even in the dead of summer, I don't think I have ever experienced a trip to Ireland where I ever had the temps go beyond 81-82 degrees, especially in June. Shorts are a waste of luggage space unless you plan to lounge around the hotel in the them. I've even brought cropped or capri pants or leggings along on past trips and not worn them at all because it was too cool.

I too say bring some light weight gloves and something to cover your ears. The wind on the west coast can be wicked even in the summer months. I was in Ireland mid July - and I was glad I had the aforementioned items in my case. Its is strange to pack like this when you are in the heat of the summer in the US - but trust me it can be wet and cold even in July in Ireland. We had two 80 degree days when we first got to Dublin (an unusual heat wave) - but the weather went down in the 50's for the rest of the week. Alternatively, there are plenty of stores in Ireland that sell gloves and hats if you end up needing them. Take some of those light weight water resistant hiking pants that can covert to a capri.

I was there last June and in addition to the good waterproof shoes and raincoat you mentioned, I had a cap, quick dry travel pants, 60/40 cotton/polyester long sleeve shirts, and a short sleeve shirt, several t-shirts, and a lightweight sweater. I also had a nicer pair of pants for some evening activities. My raincoat was a hooded Gore-Tex outdoor coat. One t-shirt was a polypro (for outdoor activities) ; the others were cotton/poly blends. In addition to my regular socks, I had one pair of Smartwool hiking socks for days when I wanted to hike a bit more along cliffs and rural paths.

By dressing in layers, I was always warm and comfortable. There were days when I carried the sweater in my day pack just in case and others when I wore it in the morning and took it off later because it became too warm.

Even with a raincoat, there were a few times, I wish I had carried an umbrella.

I would suggest a scarf as well. I think I'm wearing one in most of my pictures from last year's trip which was late June. It's amazing the difference it makes in added warmth. I took a merino wool sweater which is also in almost every picture.

Layers are the key, absolutely, because it's impossible to predict what kind of weather you'll have. I was in Ireland for three weeks in May and June a few years back. It started out rainy and fairly cool, but against all odds, my final ten days turned out to be an uninterrupted stretch of sunshine and temperatures in the upper 70s.

I was in Ireland in late June a couple years ago. Most days were sunny, with a couple drizzly mornings that my travel umbrella took care of. I wore short sleeve t-shirts/polo shirts and khaki long pants and was comfortable. Wore boat shoes that were OK getting wet but even with lots of hiking through various cow pastures never really got wet. Didn't need a jacket until late in the evenings, and then only once or twice over the three weeks I was there.

Maybe it was all the time spent in the pubs, but I just never felt cold. :-)

Your experience will vary.

It sounds like we need to be prepared for just about anything. We have been traveling to Europe with smaller cases that fit in the overhead bins of European airlines, but this time we are traveling in the economy seats of United and they now make economy passengers check their luggage anyway, so I think we'll take slightly larger rolling suitcases to carry a couple of extra layers of warmer clothing, hats, gloves, and make sure we have waterproof shoes. Thanks everyone.