
The pivotal role played by a Kerry woman in the D-Day landings will be the focus of a television documentary this evening.
Maureen Sweeney from Knockanure was 21 in 1944 when she compiled weather reports at Blacksod weather station in Co Mayo.
The success of the D-Day landings depended on good weather.
The event, which was a major turning point in the Second World War, had been scheduled for the previous day but due to a storm forecasted by Maureen it was delayed by Allied leader General Eisenhower to June 6th and 7th.
Maureen’s son Gerry explains how the Kerry woman ended up in Mayo:
It was not until 20 years later that Maureen Sweeney and her family realised how important her weather report was.
The 96-year-old told her story as part of a documentary called Storm Front in Mayo, which will be broadcast on RTE One tonight at 10.15: