The summer started with promising spells of sunshine in May and June, but Met Eireann have confirmed that July wasn’t to be.

Meteorologists have said July 2010 was the wettest July since 1950. Worse still, the forecast isn’t looking much better for this week.

The weather service also said that this is the fourth successive July when total rainfall was far in excess of normal rainfall.

Claremorris in Co Mayo was the wettest spot, recording 199mm – or over half of foot of rain. Almost a quarter of the total rainfall for Claremorris fell on just one day – July 10. Claremorris also recorded the coldest temperature for the month of July, just over six degrees on July 23.

Most weather stations around the country recorded between 15 and 21 wet days, the normal monthly average is between nine and 13.

Valentia Observatory in Co Kerry recorded only 85 hours of sunshine for the month making it one of the dullest July’s the area has seen since records began over a century ago.

But if you want sunshine you’ll have to head for Dublin airport, but you won’t have to head to the Canaries, Dublin airport say the highest monthly total of sunshine with 143 hours. The hottest place in the country was Oak Park, Co Carlow with a peak temperature of 24.2 degrees on July 26.