The coastal zones of counties Cork and Kerry have a climate that is virtually unique. The prevailing westerly winds blowing in from the ocean take their temperature from the warm waters of the North Atlantic Drift that bathes our coast. They mollify the heat of summer, but even more importantly, they temper the potential severity of winter.
It is because of these balmy breezes that the average air temperature of this coastal region in January is in excess of 7C compared to 5 in Dublin and 4 in the inland parts of Ulster. The Iveragh peninsula is as warm in winter as, for example, Marseilles or Jerusalem.
For these and other reasons, it is sometimes fondly asserted that the region enjoys an almost Mediterranean climate. And it is true that frosts are rare in coastal Kerry winters - rarer than in the south of France - and that a number of sub-tropical plants, like fuchsia, laurel and arbutus, flourish in the region.
But there are differences too. The summers, it has to be said, are dull and damp by comparison with the Cote d'Azur and average summer temperatures are well below the Mediterranean values.
And by one of the main criteria for a Mediterranean climate, well over 2000 hours of sunshine every year, west Cork and Kerry are instantly disqualified.
In fact the extreme south-west of Ireland is a zone of contrasts. The benefits of the warm prevailing winds, for example, are not unmitigated. The mild winter temperatures are balanced by frequent gales which have a negative effect on flora. In exposed places, particularly out on the peninsulas, growth is stunted by the strong winds and by the salt they carry from the nearby sea.
The growth of buds and branches on the trees is checked; where they survive at all, they lean inland and become deformed and wind-shorn. And the mountains, heavily marked by glacial scars, are thinly clad in heather and in peat. This almost barren treelessness is only softened by the profusion of fuchsia hedges which are a special characteristic of the rugged landscape, particularly at this time of year.
But where there is shelter from this wind and its pervasive salt, the extreme mildness of the climate and the abundant moisture produce spectacular effects. Here and there, there are pockets of extreme fecundity, where the vegetation is of almost tropical luxuriance. Shelter has allowed the famed Killarney oaks to flourish, and given us the luxuriant gardens of Inacullen, Garinish, Rossdahan and Glanleam. Where there is shelter, Cork and Kerry - here and there - might be "this other Eden, demi-paradise".