The folklore has it that it is hotter now than it was before. You are told it repeatedly until you are convinced and then you tell someone else. Global warming has gone viral. Is the testimony of history the cure?
Here is a story from 1825 and from the little Irish town of Inistioge in County Kilkenny, a few miles north of Waterford. It is far from the sea and does not get the Gulf Stream effect that blesses the far south west. And yet Mr J Prendergast grew grapes outdoors with evident success. (And yes, the reporter from the Belfast Commercial Chronicle spelled the village’s name wrongly. If you don’t believe me or want to see if the vines are still there, visit the town website here )
