Showers of hailstones, the size of medium buttons, fell on parts of Kerry yesterday, St John's Day.
The highly unseasonable weather pattern for the traditional Midsummer's celebrations in the southwest has seen a cold snap over the past week which has stunted growth, deflowered rose bushes and vegetables are barely hanging on.
On Wednesday, the eve of the longest day in the year, the county suffered a blackout after an electrical storm hit the main network supply out of Tarbert power station on the Shannon estuary in Kerry. The lightning was followed by darkened skies and downpours.
According to the Valentia weather observatory yesterday, early morning temperatures on the coast fell to just over 11 degrees.
Temperatures were considerably lower inland, with outdoor thermostats in the Killarney area indicating just over 9 degrees, shortly after midday, about half what might be expected this time of year.
Locals cannot remember ever having experienced hail at the end of June. While a cold snap can be expected in southwestern parts in early May, such temperatures appear to be highly unusual if not unprecedented in these parts this late into the summer.
Traditional weather forecaster TP Ó Conchúir, who is based in west Kerry, yesterday predicted "a mixed year ahead, impossible to fully predict".
Mr Ó Conchúir, whose past forecasts have proved accurate, said there were "no firm predictions from the sea", no firm predictions from the birds and none from his colleagues in the network of traditional weather watchers.