Mags GarganHoly Week deemed offensive term
Among a number of complaints received by the national weather service last year, was a small percentage expressing outraged at the use of the “offensive” term of Holy Week and demanding a secular weather forecast.
A Freedom of Information (FOI) request by the Irish Independent this week revealed that Met Eireann received three complaints last March 25 over the use of the phrase Holy Week.
"Holy Week… is a Catholic/Christian term not recognised outside that particular religious group, and most of us would prefer a secular weather forecast, with accuracy if possible,” wrote one individual. “It is quite offensive to many people to use these outdated terms in 2013."
A separate complaint highlighted a forecaster's use of the phrase "get go", which was described as "juvenile, Facebook, populist slang" and numerous emails focused on failures to predict wet weather, with one coming from a farmer's wife whose husband was out in the field at 2am in the rain, bringing in the cows.