WITH the British public getting set for another weekend of sunshine, it seems even crueller to think of family and friends at home lighting fires, turning the heating on and getting their brollies out.
So far, the story of Ireland's dismal summer 2015 has been the subject of much moaning.
Irish Twitter uses even created the trending hashtag #IrishSummer, tweeting pictures of rain flooded football pitches and ruined excursions to the beach.
In Britain it's a different story and this weekend The Met Office predict more "fine and warm [weather] across England and Wales, with a good deal of sunshine."
In July, Britain had it's hottest day in almost a decade with Londoners in particular feeling every degree of the 36.7 °C high recorded at Heathrow.
Commuters were warned to carry water on the London Underground while nationwide warnings were issued to make sure the elderly and vulnerable took precautions and stayed safe in the heat.
With only 12miles (19km) between the Mull of Kintyre and the nearest tip of County Antrim, or just over 62miles (101 km) between Rosslare and Fishguard, why does the weather in Ireland and Britain differ so much?
Veteran Irish weatherman John Eagleton explains the key factors over the phone from Met Eireann's HQ in Dublin: "England is not a different climatic zone to Ireland but it is semi different in that it often has better summers. It's not as temperate as we are. It's not right beside the Atlantic Ocean. It's not as prone to weather systems as we are. It has more of a continental influence in the summer."
A man battles against the wind on his bike in Dublin. (Photo: Sam Boal/RollingNews.ie)Basic geography is also important. London's latitude is 51° N, says Eagleton, compared to Dublin's 53° N. "It's not hugely different but we are more exposed to an Atlantic influence – just marginally more but those margins make a big difference."
Those Atlantic influences are felt most of course by those on the exposed and rugged West of Ireland.
"Ireland is a bit further north, nearer the North Pole and further from the Equator," he continues.
But there might be another reason that in the capital city of London it feels that much hotter in the sun. "London has its only microclimate - with all that concrete it can be hotter by one or two degrees", says Eagleton.
It's not all bad news for the Ireland though - they tend to experience thanks to a warm Atlantic ocean current - the Gulf Stream. Without The Gulf Stream, Eagleton explains, Ireland would be like Lithuania (which shares the same latitude) with freezing winters and none of the compensation of Lithuania's warmer summers.
As for summer 2015, it's not Ireland's wettest by a long shot.
"It's not very pleasant...but it's not as wet as 2007, 2008 or 2009. The fields aren't flooded, the ground is in good shape. It's a poor summer but we've had good summers [in Ireland] the last two years so you never get three good summers in a row."
As for any chance it might improve for our friends and family back home in August, Eagleton can only offer this thin hope: "In the next ten says it's not going to be as bad as it has been."
