Michelle McKeown: Why are Ireland’s clouds so thick? And did they influence our skin?

This isn’t just idle weather chat. There’s serious science behind Ireland’s famously gloomy skies, and compelling evidence that they’ve shaped not just our landscape, but our biology...

Sunlight through clouds over a west Cork beach. 

Ireland has a cloud problem... or depending on how you see it, a cloud personality.

From Cork to Belfast, our skies are rarely clear. Thick, grey, and ever-present, cloud cover is part of daily life, more consistent than the weather forecast and more reliable than the bus timetable.