Above: Met Eireann launches one of their Climatological Automatic Weather Stations at Mount Juliet Estate. Pictured with Siobhan Ryan, RTÉ weather presenter, are Pat O’Reilly, Estate Manager and Matt Sandercock, Director of Golf. Photo: Patrick Browne

Mount Juliet Estate will be keeping an even closer weather eye on the horizon from now on, having recently played host to the launch of one of Met Éireann’s Climatological Automatic Weather Stations. RTÉ weather presenter Siobhan Ryan was on-hand to cut the ribbon and officially launch the new station.

Since opening its golf course in 1991, the Kilkenny-based hotel and golf club has relied on an understanding of changing weather conditions while maintaining the grounds of the 500-acre estate. Initially that involved tracking daily rainfall readings and then quickly expanded to add air and soil temperatures to daily reporting.

Compiling accurate, on-the-ground information is key for Met Éireann in generating up-to-date reports from across the country. It began the process of automating 60 of its Climatological Observing Stations last year, with one of the latest examples installed on the grounds at Mount Juliet in May. The station will record rainfall amounts, air temperatures, humidity and grass and soil temperatures. Information is initially stored in a data logger and then transmitted to Met Éireann’s Glasnevin headquarters every hour, providing real-time data to a variety of sectors including hospitality.

For more information on the launch of the weather station or how it will operate, contact Mount Juliet Estate on +353 56 777 3000.