The bright to light

IF you are susceptible to seasonal affective disorder as one-in-10 Alaskans are, then you’ll know that it will be dark an hour earlier tomorrow than it will be today.

The clocks change in the early hours of tomorrow confirming the arrival of winter. This year marks the centenary of the introduction of daylight saving time in Ireland.

The practice was designed to help farmers be more productive during the First World War.

However, today’s farming methods are as far removed from those of a century ago as today’s military tactics are removed from the idea of mass infantry attacks on machine gun positions.

One is as anachronistic as the other, yet we persist on needlessly shortening our day.

It seems an extra hour in the afternoon or early evening would benefit far more people than the dark-at-four regime we face for the coming months.

There is a growing movement across Europe to change this tradition and already 63% of Irish people want a change.

A century of induced early darkness has been enough... let’s brighten our lives by ending this outdated practice.