Sun shines, but a year ago it was a different story in Cork


While February 2019 has brought us unseasonably warm weather, last year the same month ended with closed schools, traffic chaos and ‘snow days’ for much of the country.
Panic buying as shelves empty in supermakets around the country ahead of the Beast from the East arrival.

White snow scene at Patrick's Hill, Cork on Friday 2nd March 2018. Pic: Larry CumminsPeople were urged to check on neighbours and bread became the hottest commodity in the shops, as we all hunkered down to wait out the weather.

On Thursday, March 1, the coldest temperature recorded in Ireland in 2018 was registered in Cork. A reading of -7c was taken at Cork Airport, the lowest recorded since 2010, according to Met Éireann’s annual report on weather trends.

Also on Thursday, it was announced that the Evening Echo, along with our sister paper the Irish Examiner, would not be published on Friday, March 2. Reporting staff continued to work and our websites were regularly updated but there was no physical paper in Cork shops or on the streets for the first time in many decades. Normal service was resumed on Saturday.

Jack, now 20, spent nine months in Dublin recovering in the National Rehabilitation Centre and made it home to Cork in time for Christmas. The community has rallied around the young man, raising hundreds of thousands for his treatment and care, and he plans to return to his education and participate in paralympic sport in the future.