Weather in Ireland in August 2012?

No one can predict what the weather will be but you can peruse http://www.met.ie/ and look up previous years temps.
Yes, to your choice of attire in pubs and restaurants. Have to ask WHY are you moving so much in 12 days??? It's a small island. You can drive from Shannon to Dublin in 4 hours!!! I drove the entire island (Ireland AND N. Ireland) in a week and only moved 3 times. Just saying.

Moving so often seemed a lot to me too, but then we plan to see and do A LOT in those 12 days/nights and feel like we want to be positioned to do so. Also, I have a good friend who's been twice and neither time was she there as many days as we are staying, so she told me she had to go back to see more. I may never get back again. Our agenda is 1 night in Belfast because we plan to see the new Titanic exhibit (for which we have tickets), and 2 nights in Derry where we'll have plenty of time to see several things we want to see along the Atrim coast and in Derry. We plan to see many sites between northern Ireland and Galway where we're staying 2 nights, then 2 nights in Dingle, then 2 nights in Kinsale, 1 night in Kilkenny and 2 nights in Dublin before traveling back to America. Sounds crazy but I am going to see Ireland and enjoy and learn as much about the fascinating history and people as I can. My own family immigrated to America from northern Ireland in County Fermanagh in 1798 and I'm hoping to see that area around Inniskillen (the lake areas) if possible. That's why I've planned to move so often!

Hi Sherry, I like your itinerary (I know most people will think it's a lot of driving but at least most stays are for 2 nights!) the weather has been crazy... Expect it to be between 65 and 75 degrees unless there's a massive heat wave ( I wish!). Layers are the only way to go and don't forget a light weight rain coat (unfortunately). Pubs are casual but people dress a bit nicer on Saturday nights. The first weekend in August is a bank holiday Monday (it looks like you're in ROI at that point) so expect it to be really busy but fun with lots of places holding festivals. Would love to hear how you like the Titanic museum. Heading to it in September. Have a great trip!

Thank you for your information, Sherri! Sounds like we both have a lovely English name:-) I'm a planner and I'm trying not to "overplan" but to bring only what I need! Your suggestions/comments will be very helpful. We are so excited to visit your gorgeous country for the first time! All my friends who've been have fallen in love with Ireland and your people! Actually, both my husband and I have Scotchish and Irish roots. I'm sure Ireland will become my favorite new country, too! We've visited a lot of places around the world from Russia to Hungary to the Czech Republic to Israel and others, but I've never been more excited than getting ready for this trip! When we return home, I will give my opinion of the Titanic Museum which I understand is great! Thank you again for your information!

Couple of things; now understand why you wish to move so much. You will be able to see a lot, it will become your new favorite country to visit and you will go back. When I flew from London to Dublin and looked out between the cloud cover, I spontaneously uttered aloud and to the bemusement of my fellow passengers, "%*#k! It really is THAT green."
McDonagh's from County Sligo. Slainte!!! Have a great trip!

You are probably more Irish than I am! I'm from SF but my husband is from here. You'll have an amazing time. The people here are so friendly and laid back. Have a great trip and hope you get a bit of sunshine while you're here!!

Sherry - I'm not completely high maintenance, but a little, and I traveled with two girlfriends last september, so here were my observations... :) We went in Sept, so it was probably slightly cooler and I just planned on a lot of layers. I think I had a lot of short sleeve tops, but always with the intention of wearing them under open cardigans or sweaters, all mix and match. Mostly what you'd wear for hiking and exploring in the US is great for there too, or just jeans and sweaters if you're not doing strenuous hiking. If the sun comes out and it feels warm, then you can just shed your sweater or coat for the momentary sunshine. I think I brought just two pairs of shoes (which for me...whoa). Sneakers for hiking (which were good for what we did, no unusually long mountainous hikes for us) and a pair of nicer looking black merrels that served as my more dressy shoes...and pub shoes. Ireland is still part of Europe, and they still are more dressy than the average American, so it was nice to have jersey knit dresses and skirts that didn't wrinkle that we could pair with tights or leggings to wear to the pubs. It was definitely windy, especially along the coasts. Rain changes every ten minutes on a clear day, and there can be days of only rain. I got by with a waterproof fleece lined jacket from Lands End. In my ideal world, I would have had a "nicer" jacket to pair with my dressier clothes, but that wasn't worth the extra space in my luggage for me. I also went to my stylist a few weeks before I left and had her give me a lower maintenance hair style so that I could get by with my tiny travel flat iron or just throw it back in a clip or ponytail. All that said - you'll make do with whatever you have. It's SUCH an amazing country! We did a similar 10 day itinerary. LOVED the Antrim Coast and Derry! Have fun!

Thank you, thank you, thank you, Claudia, Sherri and J. from Omaha:-)!!! You've all been marvelous! You've made me even so much more excited about my trip to Ireland! The advice you've given me is helping so much as I pack. I think the hardest part of all will be trying to get my shoes down to 2 pair from 3:-D. I have a NorthFace jacket with a heavy zip-in lining of which I think I will leave the thick, furry lining at home. The jacket is great for shedding water. It also has a great hood. I'm going to bring a scarf in case it gets windy and chilly and a hat of some kind in case I need it. Most of my tops are pretty light weight and I'll have a variety of 3/4 sleeves, short and long sleeves. Mostly I'll wear jeans, but I'm also bringing a skirt and pants in that kind of non-wrinkle jersey material. They each have a matching light weight jacket that should go great for pub wear, especially on the weekends. It's our 35th wedding anniversary on August 6th so I at least want to look slightly nicer on that evening:-). By the time I get everything else in my suitcase, you can see how I fight overpacking:-). As far as haircuts, J., I had an appointment to have my hair trimmed this coming Monday, but my stylist had to have an emergency appendectomy last night! Now I need to see about getting one with another person! I just blow-dry my hair so it's pretty easy. At any rate, it'll work out and I know we'll have a wonderful time! By the way, I'm from Tennessee and this summer we have temperatures every day in the 90's. Today I think the high was 98! I'm thinking we'll be experiencing weather in Ireland a lot different from what we're used to! Thanks again!

Hi,
We just got back from a 3 week trip touring the entire country. The locals kept complaining about the weather (but it was 109 in St Louis, and we actually didn't mind the rainy days). They also said it was the rainy-est on record. Out of 3 weeks, we probably had 4 rain-free days. However, when it did rain, it would be anything from cold blowing rain to light drizzle to warm and humid mist (or all of the above....in one hour). We ended up having to buy winter hats and scarves. This was my 3rd Ireland trip and the other 2 times, I had to buy short sleeved shirts because I had packed for cooler weather. I would def pack a water-proof jacket with a hood---otherwise, there's no sense in even doing your hair for the day. Also, make sure the jacket is big enough to put on layers underneath. The damp, cold days make the cold go right through you. I brought flat ballet style shoes since they were comfy, but with all of the wet walkways/mud, I ended up solely (no pun intended) wearing my jogging shoes. We also found that packing light did not help since we had to change a few times a day due to getting damp/wet. Of course, it might be gorgeous when you travel, this was just our recent experience.

Thank you so much, Elizabeth! From all I hear from current travelers to Ireland, those who live there and weather reports, it is going to be as you describe:-/. We will be there Aug. 1-14 but I'm sure we'll have lots of fun anyway! I hear since Ireland's an island much further north than Tennessee, they just get loads of mist, rain and cooler temps. Hopefully, my suitcase won't go over flight limits (50 lbs.). I'm trying to keep it much under. Again, thanks for your report:-). My husband and I drove through St. Louis last November on a bright, sunny, gorgeous day when we were driving a moving trailer to Colorado where our son had just moved. I had never been there. Your city is beautiful with lots to do! Loved the arch!

We just returned from Ireland and our rain gear was the most valuable clothing we brought. It rained alot and having invested in rain gear allowed us to still enjoy our trip. We purchased three-quarter length, hooded, breathable rain coats from LL Bean. They had good zippers, Velcro tabs to seal the zippers, excellent pockets with zippers, tabs on the cuffs to seal out the rain, and drawstring hoods with a small visor built in. For our feet, we bought smart wool socks and waterproof Keens. Worth every penny and worn every day. Never mind the rain - we had a blast! Also, it was much colder than we expected and ended up wearing our newly purchased wool sweaters. I even wore a wool hat while walking the Hill of Tara. I brought one colorful scarf that I could use to "dress up" my casual clothes for dinner and pubs. I brought things I could layer, too, like a long sleeve t-shirt and a sleeveless shirt either of which I could wear under a denim jacket or the wool sweater. The weather changes can be dramatic. I wore cotton/twill slacks that I could mix and match with tops. I never felt I was underdressed. Everyone is so friendly and welcoming. Have a great trip and consider the weather part of the experience!

Thank you so much, Linda! I guess I'm going to go and rearrange a few things I've put in my suitcase:-( I know it's going to be cold and rainy. I guess I just didn't realize how much. It was 99 degrees (on my car temp. gauge for outside the car) and dry here in Tennessee today. It's so hard to get your mind wrapped around so dramatic a change. I think I need a couple of sweatshirts for daily touring, though they always look too casual. However, I guess what I need to do is worry about staying warm and dry, as opposed to the cuteness factor. I think I'll even bring some turtlenecks because they look nice and are warm under the waterproof NorthFace coat I'm bringing. I sound ridiculous worrying so much about dress, but in June 2011 I spent 17 days in Russia, Finland and Estonia and it was in the 50's everyday. One day in Russia, we were out for several hours in the pouring rain and I got so sick with a horrible upper respiratory problem, including an inflamed throat, cold and cough. I was miserable and a doctor had to give me penicillin. I am determined not to repeat that! I'm even bringing an antibiotic, if needed. Again, thanks for so kindly responding. I'm just going to bring all warm clothes with a couple of lighter weight tops, good rain gear, jeans, gloves, wool hat/waterproof one, too, scarf, and anything else I can stuff in there:-) Thanks!