The Night of the Big Wind (Irish: Oíche na Gaoithe Móire) was a powerful European windstorm that swept across what was then the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, beginning on the afternoon of 6 January 1839, causing severe damage to property and several hundred deaths. 20 to 25% of houses in north Dublin were damaged or destroyed, and 42 ships were wrecked.[1] The storm attained a very low barometric pressure of 918 hPa (27.1 inHg) and tracked eastwards to the north of Ireland, with gusts of over 100 knots (185 km/h; 115 mph) before moving across the north of England to continental Europe, where it eventually dissipated. At the time, it was the worst storm to hit Ireland for 300 years.[2][3]Liverpool also suffered severely, with many shipwrecks and much structural damage. 120 people died as a result of such accidents in the city alone. Two major shipwrecks resulted in damage of at least £500,000, equivalent to £47,000,000 in 2021.[4]
The storm developed after a period of unusual weather. Heavy snow, rare in Ireland, fell across the country on the night of 5 January, which was replaced on the morning of 6 January by an Atlanticwarm front, which brought a period of complete calm with dense, motionless, cloud cover. Through the day, temperatures rose well above their seasonal average, resulting in rapid melting of the snow.[5][6][7]
Later on 6 January, a deep Atlantic depression began to move towards Ireland, forming a cold front when it collided with the warm air over land, bringing strong winds and heavy rain. First reports of stormy weather came from western County Mayo around noon, and the storm moved very slowly across the island through the day, gathering strength as it moved.[5][7][6] By midnight the winds reached hurricane force.
Damageedit
The Loss of the Pennsylvania New York Packet Ship; the Lockwoods Emigrant Ship; the Saint Andrew Packet Ship; and the Victoria from Charleston, near Liverpool during the Hurricane on Monday and Tuesday 7–8 January 1839
Contemporary accounts of damage indicate that the Night of the Big Wind was the most severe storm to affect Ireland for many centuries. It is estimated that between 250 and 300 people lost their lives in the storm. Severe property damage was caused, particularly in Connacht, but also in Ulster and northern Leinster. Between a fifth and a quarter of all houses in Dublin suffered damage ranging from broken windows to complete destruction.[2] Much of the inland damage was caused by a storm surge that drew large quantities of sea water inland, resulting in widespread flooding.[5][7][6]
Even well-built buildings suffered structural damage, including new factories and military barracks. The newly constructed St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church in Derrytrasna was completely destroyed; one of the steeples of the Church of Ireland church in Castlebar was blown down, and a number of large country houses were unroofed. Among the poorly built homes of the poor, damage was more severe and many were completely destroyed. A total of 42 ships, most along the less sheltered west coast, were wrecked while unsuccessfully trying to ride out the storm: a majority of the recorded casualties occurred at sea.[1][5]
Stacks of hay and corn were widely destroyed, resulting in severe starvation among livestock in the following months.[5][8]
Legacyedit
Plaque on a building in Styal, Cheshire noting that it was damaged in the event. Plaque reads: "part of this building was destroyed by the great gale of Jan 1st 1839"
The Night of the Big Wind became part of Irish folk tradition. Irish folklore held that Judgment Day would occur on the Feast of the Epiphany, 6 January. Such a severe storm led many to believe that the end of the world was at hand.[9]
The Old Age Pensions Act 1908 introduced pensions for over-70s, but many Irish Catholics prior to the Registration of Births and Deaths (Ireland) Act 1863 had no birth registration.[10] One of the questions used to establish proof of age was whether the applicant remembered the Night of the Big Wind.
Related writingedit
Irish language poems about the event include "Oíche na Gaoithe Móire" by Micheál de Búrc (c.1800–1881) and "Oíche Nollaig na mBan" by Seán Ó Ríordáin (1916–1977). The latter's title means "Night of Women's Christmas"; Women's Christmas is observed in Ireland on the feast of the Epiphany (6 January). The first verse describes a storm on that date (5 January) while the second recounts the poet's desire that his eventual death should coincide with a similar storm.[11] Also Frank Dullaghan's poem "OÍCHE NA GAOITHE MÓIRE" published in "Rattle #79" Spring 2023.
^ abForsythe, W.; C. Breen; C. Callaghan; R. McConkey (2000). (PDF). International Journal of Nautical Archaeology. 29 (2): 247–259. doi:10.1111/j.1095-9270.2000.tb01455.x. S2CID 233247169. Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 March 2007. Retrieved 10 July 2017.
^ abSweeney, J. (1000). (PDF). Irish Geography. 33 (1): 1–14. doi:10.1080/00750770009478595. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 March 2012.
^Shields, Lisa; Fitzgerald, Denis (1989). (PDF). Irish Geography. 22 (1): 31–43. doi:10.1080/00750778909478784. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 May 2012. Also Here
^"A Chronological Listing of Early Weather Events" (PDF). p. 388. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
^ abcdeBunbury, Turtle. "The calm before the Big Wind of 1839 was particularly eerie". The Irish Times.
^"The night of the Big Wind". Connaught Telegraph.
^Burke, Mary (2017). "Forgotten Remembrances: The 6 January "Women's Christmas" (Nollaig na mBan) and the 6 January 1839 "Night of the Big Wind" (Oíche na Gaoithe Móire) in "The Dead"" (PDF). James Joyce Quarterly. 54 (3–4): 241–274. doi:10.1353/jjq.2017.0002. S2CID 165329787.
^Burke, Mary (2017). "Forgotten Remembrances: The 6 January "Women's Christmas" (Nollaig na mBan) and the 6 January 1839 "Night of the Big Wind" (Oíche na Gaoithe Móire) in "The Dead"" (PDF). James Joyce Quarterly. 54 (3–4): 241–274. doi:10.1353/jjq.2017.0002. S2CID 165329787.
Further readingedit
Carr, Peter (1993). The Night of the Big Wind. Belfast: White Row Press. ISBN1-870132-50-5.
Burke, Mary (2017). "Forgotten Remembrances: The 6 January "Women's Christmas" (Nollaig na mBan) and the 6 January 1839 "Night of the Big Wind" (Oíche na Gaoithe Móire) in "The Dead"". James Joyce Quarterly. 54 (3–4): 241–274. doi:10.1353/jjq.2017.0002. S2CID 165329787.
Burke, Mary (12 January 2016). "An Irishwoman's Diary on the 'Night of the Big Wind' – January 6th, 1839". The Irish Times.
External linksedit
Topic: Winds records from the Irish Folklore Commission, in Irish and English, many relating to the Night of the Big Wind
"Oiche na Gaoithe Moire...the night of the big wind" by Bridget Haggerty Irish Culture and Customs
December 13, 2023
night, wind, irish, oíche, gaoithe, móire, powerful, european, windstorm, that, swept, across, what, then, united, kingdom, great, britain, ireland, beginning, afternoon, january, 1839, causing, severe, damage, property, several, hundred, deaths, houses, north. The Night of the Big Wind Irish Oiche na Gaoithe Moire was a powerful European windstorm that swept across what was then the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland beginning on the afternoon of 6 January 1839 causing severe damage to property and several hundred deaths 20 to 25 of houses in north Dublin were damaged or destroyed and 42 ships were wrecked 1 The storm attained a very low barometric pressure of 918 hPa 27 1 inHg and tracked eastwards to the north of Ireland with gusts of over 100 knots 185 km h 115 mph before moving across the north of England to continental Europe where it eventually dissipated At the time it was the worst storm to hit Ireland for 300 years 2 3 Liverpool also suffered severely with many shipwrecks and much structural damage 120 people died as a result of such accidents in the city alone Two major shipwrecks resulted in damage of at least 500 000 equivalent to 47 000 000 in 2021 4 Night of the Big Wind Meteorological historyDuration6 January 1839Extratropical cycloneHighest gusts185 km h 115 mph Lowest pressure918 hPa mbar 27 11 inHgOverall effectsFatalities250 300Damage 500 000Areas affectedUnited Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland Contents 1 Meteorological situation 2 Damage 3 Legacy 4 Related writing 5 See also 6 References 7 Further reading 8 External linksMeteorological situation editThe storm developed after a period of unusual weather Heavy snow rare in Ireland fell across the country on the night of 5 January which was replaced on the morning of 6 January by an Atlantic warm front which brought a period of complete calm with dense motionless cloud cover Through the day temperatures rose well above their seasonal average resulting in rapid melting of the snow 5 6 7 Later on 6 January a deep Atlantic depression began to move towards Ireland forming a cold front when it collided with the warm air over land bringing strong winds and heavy rain First reports of stormy weather came from western County Mayo around noon and the storm moved very slowly across the island through the day gathering strength as it moved 5 7 6 By midnight the winds reached hurricane force Damage edit nbsp The Loss of the Pennsylvania New York Packet Ship the Lockwoods Emigrant Ship the Saint Andrew Packet Ship and the Victoria from Charleston near Liverpool during the Hurricane on Monday and Tuesday 7 8 January 1839Contemporary accounts of damage indicate that the Night of the Big Wind was the most severe storm to affect Ireland for many centuries It is estimated that between 250 and 300 people lost their lives in the storm Severe property damage was caused particularly in Connacht but also in Ulster and northern Leinster Between a fifth and a quarter of all houses in Dublin suffered damage ranging from broken windows to complete destruction 2 Much of the inland damage was caused by a storm surge that drew large quantities of sea water inland resulting in widespread flooding 5 7 6 Even well built buildings suffered structural damage including new factories and military barracks The newly constructed St Mary s Roman Catholic Church in Derrytrasna was completely destroyed one of the steeples of the Church of Ireland church in Castlebar was blown down and a number of large country houses were unroofed Among the poorly built homes of the poor damage was more severe and many were completely destroyed A total of 42 ships most along the less sheltered west coast were wrecked while unsuccessfully trying to ride out the storm a majority of the recorded casualties occurred at sea 1 5 Stacks of hay and corn were widely destroyed resulting in severe starvation among livestock in the following months 5 8 Legacy edit nbsp Plaque on a building in Styal Cheshire noting that it was damaged in the event Plaque reads part of this building was destroyed by the great gale of Jan 1st 1839 The Night of the Big Wind became part of Irish folk tradition Irish folklore held that Judgment Day would occur on the Feast of the Epiphany 6 January Such a severe storm led many to believe that the end of the world was at hand 9 The Old Age Pensions Act 1908 introduced pensions for over 70s but many Irish Catholics prior to the Registration of Births and Deaths Ireland Act 1863 had no birth registration 10 One of the questions used to establish proof of age was whether the applicant remembered the Night of the Big Wind Related writing editIrish language poems about the event include Oiche na Gaoithe Moire by Micheal de Burc c 1800 1881 and Oiche Nollaig na mBan by Sean o Riordain 1916 1977 The latter s title means Night of Women s Christmas Women s Christmas is observed in Ireland on the feast of the Epiphany 6 January The first verse describes a storm on that date 5 January while the second recounts the poet s desire that his eventual death should coincide with a similar storm 11 Also Frank Dullaghan s poem OICHE NA GAOITHE MoIRE published in Rattle 79 Spring 2023 See also editList of shipwrecks in January 1839References edit a b Forsythe W C Breen C Callaghan R McConkey 2000 Historic storms and shipwrecks in Ireland a preliminary survey of severe synoptic conditions as a causal factor in underwater archaeology PDF International Journal of Nautical Archaeology 29 2 247 259 doi 10 1111 j 1095 9270 2000 tb01455 x S2CID 233247169 Archived from the original PDF on 9 March 2007 Retrieved 10 July 2017 a b Sweeney J 1000 A three century storm climatology for Dublin 1715 2000 PDF Irish Geography 33 1 1 14 doi 10 1080 00750770009478595 Archived from the original PDF on 6 March 2012 Shields Lisa Fitzgerald Denis 1989 The Night of the Big Wind in Ireland 6 7 January 1839 PDF Irish Geography 22 1 31 43 doi 10 1080 00750778909478784 Archived from the original PDF on 22 May 2012 Also Here A Chronological Listing of Early Weather Events PDF p 388 Retrieved 6 June 2020 a b c d e Bunbury Turtle The calm before the Big Wind of 1839 was particularly eerie The Irish Times a b c Night Of The Big Wind RTE Archives a b c The Night of the Big Wind in Ireland 6 7 January 1839 PDF Irish Geography Volume 22 Issue 1 1989 c Taylor amp Francis Ltd The night of the Big Wind Connaught Telegraph Burke Mary 2017 Forgotten Remembrances The 6 January Women s Christmas Nollaig na mBan and the 6 January 1839 Night of the Big Wind Oiche na Gaoithe Moire in The Dead PDF James Joyce Quarterly 54 3 4 241 274 doi 10 1353 jjq 2017 0002 S2CID 165329787 History of Registration in Ireland PDF Ireland Department of Social Protection Archived from the original PDF on 8 April 2014 Retrieved 6 January 2016 Burke Mary 2017 Forgotten Remembrances The 6 January Women s Christmas Nollaig na mBan and the 6 January 1839 Night of the Big Wind Oiche na Gaoithe Moire in The Dead PDF James Joyce Quarterly 54 3 4 241 274 doi 10 1353 jjq 2017 0002 S2CID 165329787 Further reading editCarr Peter 1993 The Night of the Big Wind Belfast White Row Press ISBN 1 870132 50 5 Burke Mary 2017 Forgotten Remembrances The 6 January Women s Christmas Nollaig na mBan and the 6 January 1839 Night of the Big Wind Oiche na Gaoithe Moire in The Dead James Joyce Quarterly 54 3 4 241 274 doi 10 1353 jjq 2017 0002 S2CID 165329787 Burke Mary 12 January 2016 An Irishwoman s Diary on the Night of the Big Wind January 6th 1839 The Irish Times External links editTopic Winds records from the Irish Folklore Commission in Irish and English many relating to the Night of the Big Wind Oiche na Gaoithe Moire the night of the big wind by Bridget Haggerty Irish Culture and Customs Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Night of the Big Wind amp oldid 1159298924, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
