The Snow of '82

With potentially a lot of snow on the way from the so called "Beast from the East" it reminded me of the last and only 'big snow' I experienced in my life in January 1982.

Living at the time down a half mile long lane at Mavemacullen between Loughgilly and Clare, Tandragee there was no escape from the weather. We ended up cut off for quite a while with the combination of a persistant bout of heavy snow and strong winds causing heavy drifting and hedges trapping the snow from escaping.

I remember my father having to walk through snow that had reached the top of the hedge on our lane, to get a gas cylinder and other supplies at John Acheson's shop at Eleven Lane Ends.

The snow had started on Friday January 8 and by the time late afternoon had arrived virtually all roads locally were impassable.  If I remember correctly children from schools were sent home early, so I'm thinking the forecasts weren't as up to date then and the sheer scale of the snowfall wasn't predicted.

My brother had left Belfast from work early on Friday, no doubt due to the incoming weather and had made it to just over half a mile from home before his Citroen car, (the one with the wonderful rising suspension) decided to give up and ended up in a snow drift higher than the car itself - Of course it made a great photograph for his snapper of a brother. I really thought I had made the big time when I saw them on the front and back page in the Armagh Guardian the following week and even one had made it inside!

If you have any stories from your own memories of the big snow of 1982 of how it affected Newry we would love to hear them from you below or via email to news@newry.ie