

While many enjoy the extra hour in bed, there are some negatives. What are the downsides of clocks going back?

It wasn’t until a year later, in May 1916, that Britain passed the Summer Time Act and started changing its clocks twice a year. But when he died in 1915 the government still hadn’t backed BST. He published a pamphlet called The Waste of Daylight, in which he outlined his plans to change the time of the nation’s clocks. He felt that valuable daylight was being wasted in the mornings during the summer months because people were still in bed. The idea of British Summer Time (BST) was first proposed in the UK in 1907 by William Willett, who happens to be the great-great-grandfather of Coldplay singer Chris Martin. Turning the clocks forward in the spring brings lighter evenings, or as we say in Ireland, “the grand ould stretch”.

When do the clocks go back in Ireland in October 2021 and why do they change?įollowing summer solstice on June 21, the days gradually become shorter.īy turning the clocks back an hour during autumn, this provides people with more sunlight in the morning.10 reasons to be glad the clocks are going back.The Department of Justice had previously outlined concerns about having two different time zones on the island of Ireland as a result of the UK leaving the EU. The vote did not have any legal effect and the European Commission previously said “the ball is now in the Member States’ court as it is up to them to find a common position in Council”. “I was keen for the change to go ahead as I believe there is a demand to change the process of clock changing and keep summertime all year round.” “I’m disappointed that the plan has been paused,” she added. Ireland South MEP Deirdre Clune has advocated in favour of “keeping summertime all year round”, but told Independent.ie: “It’s unlikely that there will be changes in the next two years as the Commission has now shown an interest in bringing any proposal forward.” However, this was put on ice due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The initial plan was to stop seasonal time changes after spring 2021. In 2019, the European Parliament voted to remove daylight energy saving time permanently. Why are seasonal time changes still happening after the vote to scrap them? They went forward an hour on March 28 and will go forward again in March next year. The clocks will go back an hour at 2am on Sunday, October 31.Įvery year, the clocks change on the last weekend in March and October. It’s that time of year again, when your mother sends the “don’t forget about the clocks going back” reminder text and revellers ask if they get an extra hour in the bar.ĭespite the European Parliament voting in favour of removing daylight saving time permanently after spring 2021, we will still be changing the clocks this weekend.
