Michael Gallagher is an
Irish
Irish may refer to:
Common meanings
* Someone or something of, from, or related to:
** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe
***Éire, Irish language name for the isle
** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...
postman
A mail carrier, mailman, mailwoman, postal carrier, postman, postwoman, or letter carrier (in American English), sometimes colloquially known as a postie (in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom), is an employee of a post ...
from
County Donegal
County Donegal ( ; ga, Contae Dhún na nGall) is a county of Ireland in the province of Ulster and in the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the town of Donegal in the south of the county. It has also been known as County Tyrconn ...
, known for accurately predicting weather-related events in
Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
. He studies the behaviour of animals and plants to determine the nature of the weather. His predictions have been disputed by
Met Éireann
Met Éireann (; meaning " Met of Ireland") is the state meteorological service of Ireland, part of the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage.
History
The history of modern meteorology in Ireland dates back to 8 October 1860, whe ...
and their scientific methods yet he says between 70 and 80 per cent of his predictions come true.
The ''
Evening Herald
''The Herald'' is a nationwide mid-market tabloid newspaper headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, and published by Independent News & Media who are a subsidiary of Mediahuis. It is published Monday–Saturday. The newspaper was known as the ''Even ...
'' has described him as "one of the country's more unusual forecasters".
According to ''
The Irish Times
''The Irish Times'' is an Irish daily broadsheet newspaper and online digital publication. It launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Ruadhán Mac Cormaic. It is published every day except Sundays. ''The Irish Times'' is considered a newspaper ...
'', he is the most well-known amateur forecaster in Ireland.
His first book, ''Old Traditional Weather Signs'', was released in August 2009,
his second book ''Remedies and Cures of Bygone Era'' launched in June 2012.
Biography
Gallagher has been a postman for more than 40 years.
He lives in Glenfin, a village near
Cloghan in County Donegal.
He was featured on
RTÉ Radio 1
RTÉ Radio 1 ( ga, RTÉ Raidió 1) is an Irish national radio station owned and operated by RTÉ and is the direct descendant of Dublin radio station 2RN, which began broadcasting on a regular basis on 1 January 1926.
The total budget for th ...
programme ''
Mooney
Mooney is a family name, which is probably predominantly derived from the Irish Ó Maonaigh, pronounced Om-weeneey. It can also be spelled Moony, Moonie, Mainey, Mauney, Meaney and Meeney depending on the dialectic pronunciation that was angli ...
'' in December 2006, in a show dedicated to the decline of the rural post office in Ireland.
Gallagher has been involved in the prediction of weather events for at least 25 years.
He studied the methods used by people from the
Bluestack Mountains
The Blue Stack Mountains or Bluestack Mountains, also called the Croaghgorms (), are the major mountain range in the south of County Donegal, Ireland. They provide a barrier between the south of the county, such as Donegal Town and Ballyshannon, a ...
.
He does not believe in the legend of
Saint Swithin's Day – that if it rains it will rain for forty more days.
He accompanied his daughter to
China to compete in the
Special Olympics
Special Olympics is the world's largest sports organization for children and adults with intellectual disabilities and physical disabilities, providing year-round training and activities to 5 million participants and Unified Sports partners in ...
– she claimed a silver medal for Ireland.
Widely publicised predictions
Gallagher first came to national attention in 2007 when he predicted an end to rain that summer.
There was "massive interest" in his methods of prediction.
In May 2009, he predicted sunny weather for the Irish summer.
He claimed that thunder and lightning that month meant there would be good weather later, according to old traditions.
In July 2009, he predicted that sunny weather would end on 22 August, that the weather would deteriorate after this time but improve again that September.
A weather forecaster in New Zealand agreed with him.
In December 2009, he predicted that he was "90 per cent certain" there would be snow in Ireland on
Christmas Day
Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year, ...
, also known as a "
White Christmas" He pointed to the way animals such as cattle, foxes and sheep were behaving and the way in which the grass had grown in late October. Met Éireann officials have stated that they could not tell at that time if it was likely there would be a snowfall.
He predicted 2010's spell of freezing weather.
[
In October 2012, Gallagher predicted "plenty of snow" before Christmas 2012. The ]Met Éireann
Met Éireann (; meaning " Met of Ireland") is the state meteorological service of Ireland, part of the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage.
History
The history of modern meteorology in Ireland dates back to 8 October 1860, whe ...
December 2012 Monthly Weather Bulletin recorded limited snow on three days, all confined to areas in the Midlands and West. Overall, Met Éireann
Met Éireann (; meaning " Met of Ireland") is the state meteorological service of Ireland, part of the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage.
History
The history of modern meteorology in Ireland dates back to 8 October 1860, whe ...
summarised the weather in that month as "wet and warm in parts".
In June 2015, he predicted "a very good summer" for 2015, adding that the weather would "inevitably bring heavy downpours and plenty of thunder". The Met Éireann
Met Éireann (; meaning " Met of Ireland") is the state meteorological service of Ireland, part of the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage.
History
The history of modern meteorology in Ireland dates back to 8 October 1860, whe ...
Summer 2015 report noted that the summer was "cool everywhere; wet and windy in most parts" with mean air temperatures all below average and with above average rainfall. Ireland West Airport Knock
Ireland West Airport ( ga, Aerfort Iarthar Éireann Mhuire), officially known as Ireland West Airport Knock ( ga, Aerfort Iarthar Éireann Chnoc Mhuire), is an international airport south-west of Charlestown, County Mayo, Ireland. The vill ...
recorded its dullest summer since the station opened in 1996.
He predicted the heatwave of 2018.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gallagher, Michael
Year of birth missing (living people)
Living people
Irish postmen
People from Cloghan, County Donegal
Radio personalities from the Republic of Ireland
Irish meteorologists