It has rained for 45 consecutive days in most parts of the country causing disastrous sales in many products related to summer activities, like barbecuing. "We had super sales for May and then June was bad.

But July has just been a disaster, " Walsh said. "In a business like this when you don't do anything for four months of the winter it's just not going to work with a summer like we've been havingf they had to call it a day." The business had been trading for 14 years.

Irish supermarkets are also experiencing low sales of certain meat products, including beef burgers and pork sausages, due to a non-existent barbecuing season.

The wet weather is affecting many other businesses nationwide. C&C, makers of Bulmers, reported a dramatic 20% drop in their share price last week.

Magners, as Bulmers is marketed in Britain, has had poor sales due to weather conditions that are not exactly in line with the image the drink portrays as an outdoor summer alternative to beer and stout. "It is safe to say that bad weather for six or seven weeks, like for all refreshment drinks, has had a negative impact on Bulmers sales, " a spokesman for C&C told the Sunday Tribune. "Definitely when you compare it to this time last year, which was quite a good summer, the weather is now impacting on revenuef it will continue to do so if the summer continues like this, " the spokesman said.

The fashion world has also been shaken. Marks & Spencer have issued profit warnings following a fall in sales of their summer lines, and H&M revealed as far back as April that cold weather was affecting their sales. Middle market shops are being hit the worst, with consumers preferring to buy either cheaper clothes in case they won't be worn or higher priced single items in preparation for winter.