Uploaded March 2023 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
We were delighted to welcome Evelyn Cusack, Senior Meteorologist and Head of Forecasting at Met Eireann to deliver our inaugural Imbolc Lecture.
Evelyn took attendees on a journey from the time of Snowball Earth (around 600 million years ago) to the birth of scientific weather forecasting. She also explored the ‘spring controversy’, which debates whether Saint Brigid’s Day is the start of spring. The ancient Celtic festival of Imbolc is said to mark the seasonal shift from winter to spring. Imbolc is celebrated on 1st February, the same day on which the feast of Saint Brigid is marked.
Marking the shift from winter to spring, Imbolc – or Saint Brigid’s Day as it is also known – is an important festival in the Irish calendar both scientifically and culturally. At DIAS, we have expertise focusing on both on Celtic Studies and Cosmic Physics, amongst others – and a festival like Imbolc is a great opportunity to highlight some synergies in both these fields. This talk was a fascinating insight into weather forecasting and our climate.
We were delighted to welcome Evelyn Cusack, Senior Meteorologist and Head of Forecasting at Met Eireann to deliver our inaugural Imbolc Lecture.
Evelyn took attendees on a journey from the time of Snowball Earth (around 600 million years ago) to the birth of scientific weather forecasting. She also explored the ‘spring controversy’, which debates whether Saint Brigid’s Day is the start of spring. The ancient Celtic festival of Imbolc is said to mark the seasonal shift from winter to spring. Imbolc is celebrated on 1st February, the same day on which the feast of Saint Brigid is marked.
Marking the shift from winter to spring, Imbolc – or Saint Brigid’s Day as it is also known – is an important festival in the Irish calendar both scientifically and culturally. At DIAS, we have expertise focusing on both on Celtic Studies and Cosmic Physics, amongst others – and a festival like Imbolc is a great opportunity to highlight some synergies in both these fields. This talk was a fascinating insight into weather forecasting and our climate.
