Children would go to school in darkness if we aligned with Europe

Every year as Ireland puts the clocks back one hour at the end of October, we hear the arguments why Ireland should drop daylight saving time or why we should even align with mainland Europe and adopt Central European Time (CET).

The arguments include that this will help people who are affected by Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), will allow people to have more time to go out walking or playing sports in brighter evenings, that it will reduce road fatalities between 4pm and 7pm and that it will save countless tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions.

Changing the clocks forward or back always causes confusion.

But now as we approach the shortest day of the year, nature itself demonstrates what leaving the clocks alone each October or joining Central European Time would really mean for people in Ireland.

This morning, as most children left for school between 8am and 8.30am it was just getting bright.

Leaving clocks as they are in October will mean that it won’t get bright until 9.30am and so everyone will travel to school or to work in pitch darkness for two months every year.

People working outdoors will not be able to start work until 9.30am without extensive artificial lighting.

Is that a good idea? I, for one, don’t think so!

Hendrick Verwey

Old Church

Cobh

Co Cork