Postman delivers good news on weather

A DONEGAL postman renowned for accurately predicting the weather using ancient methods claimed the summer was about to make a comeback.

Michael Gallagher, from the remote valley of Glenfin, who learned his unorthodox techniques from families in Donegal’s Blue Stack mountains, insisted the misery was at an end.

“Don’t despair. Don’t throw in the towel,” he said.

“The signs are very good for a nice spread of dry weather from now on in. I’m very confident of that.”

Mr Gallagher, a postman for 40 years, made the prediction after examining the current weather as well as the habits of birds, livestock and even domestic pets.

The 60-year-old soothsayer said the new moon coming in, the heather blossoming on his beloved Blue Stacks and the animals heading for the hills all pointed towards a switch from the incessant downpours.

“There’ll be plenty of summer weather yet,” he said.

“Once you see the animals coming down off the mountains, it’s a very bad sign.

“They’re coming for shelter, looking for houses, ditches, trees or whins. In the last couple of days the deer were coming down into the valleys.

“But when they are heading back up into the hills and out into open spaces they know the good weather is coming.

“I have just come from the Croaghs [Blue Stacks] and the animals are all heading for the hills. They are very happy.

“The stork is also out and I’m watching to see where he goes.

“But there’ll be little storms from now on, the odd bit of thunder maybe. But the thunder comes from good weather.”

The soothsayer, who has written a book about his unusual methods, said he had been getting it mostly right for the past 20 years.

Known for predicting the weather a month or even a season in advance, he was handed down the age-old gift from the last generation of families he delivered post to during his rounds high in the wild Blue Stacks.

Unfortunately, his latest prediction is not shared by Met Éireann, which insists more rain is on the way.

Forecaster Eoin Sherlock said the current weather would continue for another day, before a better spell tomorrow.

“But a band of rain is moving in from the Atlantic with the risk of more localised flooding at the weekend,” he said.

“There are also more heavy showers and unsettled weather forecast for next week.”