D Thursday, January 7, 2010 News 15 Byrne: Appreciated Forecasters fanbase flourishes SHE may have been the bearer of bad news for the past few weeks, but her smile has been the only source of warmth on RTs weather forecasts. Met ireanns Jean Byrne has become the latest phenomenon to inspire a Facebook fanbase in the form of The Jean Byrne Appreciation Society. According to the groups description, the veteran meteorologist is the only real goth to ever work for RT and simply the coolest meteorologist in history. Group creator, Clare People journalist Andy Hamilton, even declares Ms Byrne to be cooler than the father of American geography, William Morris Davis, as he never wore black nail polish. The Kerry native initially studied medicine after leaving school, but changed her mind and opted for a career with the national meteorological service, graduating in mathematical sciences at Trinity College with honours en route. The Anjelica Huston-lookalike has also been creating a storm on Boards.ie with nominations on its RT Babes Of The Year thread. By Ruth Doris House prices fall 42% from peak of the boom HOUSE prices around the country dropped by an average of almost 20 per cent last year, according to a new survey out today. Dublin has seen the biggest decline in prices, with falls of 42 per cent since the height of the property boom in early 2007 while prices fell 30 per cent in the cities of Cork, Galway and Waterford. The Daft.ie House Price Report for 2009 shows the average asking price for a house in Ireland is now 242,000 down 107,000 from the peak. Alan McQuaid, of Bloxham Stockbrokers, said a cut in the length of time it takes to sell a house down to four months in Dublin, and nine months in most other parts of the country was one of the few com- forts for sellers from the latest survey. But the economist predicted house prices would continue to fall and any recovery would be slow. In overall terms, I would expect house prices to drop another ten to 15 per cent on average this year, with Dublin again seeing the biggest decline, said Mr McQuaid. When the market finally begins to recover, Dublin should see the largest gains, with other cities follow- ing in the footsteps of the capital, he added. That said, the level of any increase in house prices over the next few years is likely to be only in single digits, with three factors the banks adoption of a more cautious stance to lending than in the Celtic Tiger era, the return of interest rates to normal and the possible introduction of a property tax for princi- pal homes of residence all weighing negatively on the market, he added. The 19 per cent drop in the average house price across the country last year represents a 30 per cent overall fall from peak prices three years ago. Crowley to cover Little RICHARD CROWLEY (pictured) has been announced as Mark Littles replacement on RTs Prime Time programme. He will begin work on the current affairs show on January 14. Still falling: Property prices are down 107,000 since 2007 Longford 149,098 (-26.3%) Donegal 197,449 (-26.7%) Leitrim 169,757 (-32.6%) Cavan 192,433 (-30.9%) Monaghan 204,950 (-35.8%) Sligo 195,746 (-31.1%) Mayo 132,339 (-28%) Roscommon 173,590 (-30.1%) Galway 220,334 (-29.3%) Westmeath 182,298(-36.8%) Laois 180,912 (-34.2%) Offaly 192,361 (-35.8%) Galway City 258,530 (-32.6%) Louth 209,360 (-38.3%) Meath 228,129 (-34%) Kildare 245,443 (-32.1%) Wicklow 329,969 (-32.8%)Clare 204,352 (-30.1%) Tipperary 201,863 (-24%) Kerry 217,632 (-25.8%) Limerick 207,905 (-21.5%) Waterford 237,526 (-26.9%) Cork 235,824 (-29.7%) Limerick City 197,656 (-22.8%) Cork City 258,227 (-30.5%) Waterford City 195,881 (-29.2%) Kilkenny 226,374 (-29.6%) Carlow 210,167 (-30.3%) Wexford 207,143 (-24.6%) North Dublin County 290,846 (-30.3%) North Dublin City 302,326 (-34.2%) Dublin City Centre 245,352 (-42.7%) South Dublin City 298,629 (-36.4%)South Dublin County 427,903 (-37.2%) West Dublin County 232,722 (-35.3%) index.html2.html3.html4.html5.html6.html7.html8.html9.html10.html11.html12.html13.html14.html15.html16.html17.html18.html19.html20.html21.html22.html23.html24.html25.html26.html27.html28.html29.html30.html31.html