Clocks go forward tonight as ‘summer time’ begins

‘Summer time’ in Ireland will officially begin this weekend with clocks going forward by one hour overnight tonight.

At 1am clocks will go forward an hour to 2am. Most smartphones, tablets and computers will update automatically.

The practice of changing the clocks was first introduced in 1916 to save energy costs during World War I.

Under EU law all 28 member states observe the change with clocks going forward on the last Sunday in March and going back on the last Sunday in October.

In 2019 MEPs voted to scrap the practice of adjusting clocks in the EU.

The vote was intended to form the basis of discussions among EU countries to produce a final law, however no such legislative changes have taken place yet.

The seasonal time shift has also been the subject of debate in the United States, where legislators have tried unsuccessfully to abolish it.

For now, Hawaii and most of Arizona have not followed the practice of adjusting clocks since World War II.

In 2011, Russia decided to switch to permanent summer time in an attempt to improve citizens’ well-being but shifted to permanent winter time in 2014 after public complaints.

The majority of countries outside Europe and North America do not adjust their clocks.