The mainstay of any casual chat in Ireland is the state of the weather. We are a little obsessed with whether or not it may rain, snow or the sun might shine. Weather events linger long in the memory and none more so than snow. Among the memories here are the Big Snow of 1962/1963 that lasted for weeks and had a huge impact on the lives of Waterford people at the time, especially, for those in the mountainous area around Ballymacarbry who struggled to access supplies and services as a result of the mighty snow drifts blocking all travel.