Autumn is a season of change. The leaves turns brown as trees prepare for the coming season, while the weather in Ireland seems to turn cold, windy and wet on some random day during Autumn.
Another area which Autumn sees change is in timekeeping. Daylight Saving Time (DST), or Summer Time, sees clocks in Ireland rewinding an hour during the wee hours of Sunday, 27 October, signalling a return to Greenwich Mean Time (GMT).
Greenwich Mean Time will then run until Sunday, 30 March 2024 when the clocks will leap forward an hour. Once summer concludes, the clocks are adjusted back to preserve more daylight during working hours.
And, this Sunday's transition to GMT means Irish people can rest easy with an additional hour of sleep.
DST was implemented to prolong daylight hours during summer in the northern hemisphere. The first country to change its hours was Germany in 1916 during WWI, the change was effected to save coal.
Other European nations followed suit, including Ireland which was part of the UK at the time. While some countries rescinded the clock change, some kept the change, including France, Germany, Spain, Italy and of course the UK (and later Ireland once it became in independent country).
And if you are confused which direction the clocks alter there is a handy mnemonic - in spring the clocks 'spring forward,' while in autumn they 'fall back.'
It's important to remember that clock changes can happen on varying dates. For example, next year, the clocks will advance on March 30 and retreat on October 26. However, in 2026, DST will commence on March 29 and conclude on October 25.
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