By Cliona Connolly

CLONES Weather Station will cease to operate as an observations station on April 7, the post can confirm. This move means that weather reports will never be the same again as Clones will literally be taken off the map.

The partly automated station will be replaced with a fully automated station in Ballyhaise agricultural college, Co Cavan. Met Éireann said the encroaching housing developments surrounding the station in O’Neill Park made accurate reports difficult.

Opened in 1957, the station is currently manned by Station Manager Sean Bonner and Michael McDonnell. Joe Burke, spokesperson for Met Éireann, said the 2 jobs would not be moved to Ballyhaise but would be devolved or allocated work in the Clones area. Mr Bonner voiced great sadness and disappointment at the news. “Our motto was ‘never leave until your successor arrives’ so it will be a very sad day locking the gate after 37 years.”

Mr Bonner arrived in 1970 there was 5 full time staff working “Its very sad for the local community, Clones had built up a high profile on weather reports. This station is a part of the town’s fabric.

“A lot of people have come through this station and many men met their wives in Clones. Schools from 6 counties visited the station on a regular basis.

“We will miss the schoolchildren and they will be disappointed with the news. It’s an awful pity it wasn’t kept in Clones in order to maintain our climate records going back over 50 years. While progress may be a necessity it’s not always a good thing.”

Met Éireann explored the possibility of buying land to facilitate new stations. “Sites need to be reasonably open in order to get complete exposure to the elements.

“We assessed the location of the stations around the country and unfortunately a few of them were not suitable anymore for this reason. Land owners are happy to lease us the use of the site, but ask them to guarantee there will be no building all around it then it is a very different story,” Liam Keegan of Met Éireann said.

Almost all of the 15 weather stations in Ireland will be affected by the automation policy over the next year.