Ireland hotter than the Med

OUR economy may not be much hotter than Greece, but at least we are managing to compete with the weather of some of its famous Mediterranean islands.

It’s a far cry from the brutally cold weather of the last two years when people were forced to brave arctic conditions, salt in hand, just to make it to the local for a St Stephen’s Day pint.

It has been unseasonably mild this festive season, with Christmas Day one of the warmest on record.