The Night of the Big Wind (Oíche na Gaoithe Móire), which occurred on January 6th 1839 is described as the most damaging storm to occur in Ireland in over 300 years. The hurricane-force winds caused severe damage to property and resulted in the deaths of over 250 people. According to the Dublin Evening Post the effects of the storm were felt ‘from Galway to Dublin, from the Giant’s Causeway to Valencia. It has been, we repeat it, the most awful calamity with which a people were afflicted’.
The first reports of the storm came from County Mayo around midday on January 6th. In Castlebar one of the steeples of the Church of Ireland church was blown down. The storm tracked across the country causing severe damage in northern Leinster, Dublin and Ulster. The storm continued to move across northern England and on to the Europe.
The Night of the Big Wind, which brought death and destruction across Ireland occurred in the year 1839 On This Day.
Photo by Rob Hurson 