Met Éireann statistics have confirmed what everyone knows - that there were 49 consecutive days of rainfall from June 11th to July 29th.
Records were broken in Dublin when more rain fell on the Phoenix Park in the past two months than in any previous June and July since 1837 when records began.
At Dublin weather stations more rain fell in June and July than last December and January combined. At Dublin airport, there were 252.9mm of rain in the last two months compared with just 167.8mm during the two winter months.
But despite all the rain, sunshine levels were above normal everywhere and the west got the best of it. It was "a very sunny month in coastal counties of the west and north", according to Met Éireann's monthly weather compilation.
The poor weather is expected to result in a 15 per cent drop in yields of winter wheat and spring barley, due to be harvested in the next fortnight. The drop comes at a time when world markets are at their strongest for a decade, with increased demand because of a drought in Australia and a move in the US away from these crops to bio-ethanol.
An Irish Farmers' Association spokesman said consumers can expect more expensive imports of broccoli and cabbage because a delay in sowing due to bad weather will affect local supply. "A week of good growth in July is equal to a month in winter," he said, "so in effect we've lost four months' growth."
But the mixed weather has not been as bad as might have been expected for the hotel industry. John Power, chief executive of the Irish Hotels Federation, said the part of the business that was suffering was the "walk-ins" - people who do not book in advance. But in the last couple of days that has picked up because of improved weather. "It's not all doom and gloom," he said. "It won't be a record year but quite a few people are having a good season."
The best of the weather was recorded in Rosslare, Co Wexford, which had the lowest rainfall total of 74mm and the most sunshine with 224 hours.
Malin Head in Co Donegal was sunny too with 212 hours, its highest July total since 1955, but Mullingar suffered its wettest July since 1960 and Kilkenny had the most rainfall in a single day - 23.9mm on Friday, July 13th.
