Clocks to go back tonight to mark official end of summer
Ireland will end summertime tonight by turning clocks back one hour, aligning with the rest of the European Union. Despite previous European Parliament votes to end seasonal time changes, no legislative progress has been made to implement the shift.
Why it matters
The continuation of seasonal time changes affects daily life, energy usage, and cross-border logistics, particularly regarding the unique situation of the island of Ireland.
Clocks are due to go back by one hour overnight to mark the official end of Irish summertime.
This means that at 2am the time on the clock will change to 1am.
Each year, on the last Sunday of October, clocks go back one hour, which also happens across the European Union.
It follows an earlier change this year, when the clocks went forward by one hour at 1am on the last Sunday of March (29 March, 2026).
The clocks change in order to make the best use of the natural light as the Earth orbits the sun, changing its exposure.
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