Infamous weather event which ravaged Kildare to be examined at upcoming talk

An upcoming talk, which is completely free of charge to attend, will take a deep dive into an infamous weather event which rocked Ireland, including County Kildare, more than 75 years ago.

'The Big Snow' occurred in 1947, and according to author Kevin C Kearn's book, 'Ireland's Arctic Siege: The Big Freeze of 1947', Dublin’s death rate notably more than doubled as the poor and elderly succumbed to hunger, cold and illness brought about by the weather event.

In addition, 'The Big Snow' coincided with a huge fuel crisis which gripped Ireland at the time.

As part of the upcoming examination into 'The Big Snow', Leixlip History Club will examine the preceding harvest of 1946, in addition to how communities endured the severe weather event.

READ NEXT: Calls for water filling stations in this Kildare Municipal District

According to the organisers, the talk will feature local historians (notably Pádraig Laffan) and will provide "fascinating insights into rural life post World War II".

It should be noted that spaces are limited for this talk.

This event will take place on Thursday, September 18, 2025 in Leixlip Community Library.

It will run from 7.15pm until 8.15pm.

Anyone seeking further information about this event can click here.

READ NEXT: More than €500,000 in funding allocated to Kildare research projects