The desperate fight to save the harvest in 1946 and the severe winter of 1947

Celbridge Historical Society

Happy New year to all, we look forward to seeing you at our first talk of 2026.

The desperate fight to save the harvest in 1946, and the severe winter of 1947. An illustrated talk by Pádraig Laffan

The talk spans almost a year but not a calendar year, and tells the story of a very different Ireland. It begins with the desperate fight to save the vital harvest in that difficult, early post-war period with all its shortages. It was an extraordinary event, now almost completely forgotten, yet it affected everyone. An unprecedented winter then followed, bringing extended arctic conditions with long periods of ice and snowstorms.

Pádraig Laffan is a keen local historian and vice chair of the Federation of Local History Societies. As a Marine Radio Officer, he travelled the world, then joined RTE and made his career in communications for its radio outside broadcasts all over Ireland.