Last Decade Was Ireland's Wettest On Record

Any doubts climate-change deniers may have had about the effect global warming is having on Irish weather should be washed away after new data has proved that the country’s meteorology is being rapidly transformed.

Researchers at Maynooth University have found that the Irish climate is now at its wettest in over 300 years.

Analysis of historical rainfall statistics lead to the conclusion that in the decade from 2006 to 2015, the country experienced the highest rate of rainfall since since record keeping began in 1711.

In that decade an average annual rainfall figure of 1,990 millimetres was recorded, in stark contrast to the overall average of 1,080 millimetres over the entire 305 year span.

The research team was lead by Dr. Conor Murphy, a Senior Lecturer in Geography at Maynooth University. Dr. Murphy says the unprecedented rainfalls are most likely due to human-driven factors.

 “The most recent decade was our wettest on record,” says Dr. Murphy. “When we look at the long-term context, we see a continuous rise in annual and winter rainfall.

“This is consistent with expectations of human-driven climate change.”

Much of the data used only existed thanks to the efforts of the United Kingdom’s Met Office in the 1970s. This data had not seen much use or publication previously, but by combining it with Ireland’s own rainfall figures a clearer picture emerged.

“We were able to merge that Met Office record with another, quality-assured dataset, which we recently compiled for Ireland for the period of 1850 to present.” explained Dr. Murphy.

“When combined, the derived record gives us an unprecedented picture of rainfall variations for every month from 1711 to 2016.”

The research also showed that when it comes to seasonal changes, Ireland’s winters are becoming much wetter than previously while its summers are getting drier.

The winters of 2015/2016 and 2013/2014 are the wettest and second wettest recorded since 1711 respectively, a statistic that is probably unsurprising to anyone affected by the severe flooding seen across the country in recent years.

RCSI Researchers Make Breast Cancer Breakthrough

Researchers at the Royal College of Surgeons Ireland say that they have developed a mathematical model which could help identify if chemotherapy will work on individual patient’s cancers.

The model has been created in order to predict how the chemotherapy process will affect triple-negative breast cancer cells. It’s hoped that by using this method, patients who will not respond well to chemotherapy will avoid the treatment and its harmful side effects.

Over 250 people in Ireland are diagnosed with the particular strain of breast cancer each year.

Dr Federico Lucantoni is the lead researcher for the project and he hopes the model can help sufferers.

"We hope that in the future clinicians by using these models will be able to tailor the therapy."

“"It works quite well on in-vitro models on cancer cell lines,” he says, “we tested it on different triple negative breast cancer cells."

The study was funding by the Irish Cancer Society as part of its Breast-Predict collaborative project between researchers at RCSI, UCC, NUIG, TCD, UCD and DCU. 

"This paper highlights vital work being undertaken to identify new ways to improve the treatment of cancer.” said Dr Robert O’Connor, the head of cancer research for the ICS.

"This research is in quite early stages and it will be many more years until any potential benefits reach cancer patients.

"But it does show the building blocks required to lay the foundations for life-saving cancer research.”

Gamers Unite Against Homelessness

Ireland’s gamers will band together this Saturday, April 14th to yet again raise much needed funds for the Dublin Simon Community and Inner-City Helping Homeless to assist in their fight against homelessness.

8-Bit, a collection of Irish retro gamers, will be holding Gamers Unite For The Homeless, a free event, in Griffith College where attendees will be able to try their hands at old consoles, experience a Virtual Reality simulation and participate in tournaments.

As of February 2018 there were 9,807 homeless people in Ireland, more than double the figure from the same period in 2015. Volunteer groups such as the Simon Community and ICHH are battling hard to ensure that none of these people go forgotten.

It’s not the first time that 8-Bit have fundraised for the homeless. Back in December the group raised €1,500 by hosting a 24 hour international live stream, which even featured a head-shaving all in the name of charity. They’ll be hoping to surpass that target this time around.

Much of the money they hope to raise will come from vendors, who will donate 20% of their profits to the cause.

“On behalf of the Dublin Simon Community and the people who rely on our services each day, we would like to thank everyone involved for their support.” said Jonathan Beatty of the Simon Community.

“The proceeds raised from the event will help provide people with life changing outreach, treatment, housing, homelessness prevention and education services. We are very humbled to be chosen as beneficiaries for this fantastic fundraiser … the supporters of this event will make a vital difference and enable people to move to a safe and secure place they can call home.”

One of the highlights of the day will surely be the Mario Kart and Street Fighter tournaments, always popular in the extremely competitive gaming community. Entry into the tournaments will have a small cover charge, with all proceeds going to the charity partners.

The National Computer & Video Game Museum will also be attendance to showcase their range of retro games and consoles, including a large-screen Saturn Bomberman experience for up to 10 players at a time.

Although entrance is free, the event is ticketed due to the limited size of the space available. Tickets can be gotten through the event’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/events/131617344316545

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