Joanna Donnelly Opens Up About Stressful Exit from RTÉ Weather Role

Former RTÉ weather forecaster Joanna Donnelly has revealed the intense stress that led to her departure from Met Éireann, describing a situation where she felt “traumatised” and unable to continue working under what she perceived as overly strict conditions. Donnelly, a popular figure on Irish television, spoke candidly about her experience, highlighting concerns about the interpretation of Civil Service regulations and her passion for communicating the crucial message of climate change.

Stress and Ill Health Led to Departure

Donnelly’s departure from her dream job at Met Éireann was shrouded in mystery, prompting speculation about the reasons behind it. Now, she has explained that the decision was ultimately driven by the toll the work habitat took on her health.

“it [the stress] was going on for a couple of years. I spent a fortune at the doctor. taking bloods. Was it post-viral? It was stress and I didn’t know, which is shocking,” she stated. She emphasized that she never anticipated leaving a role she deeply cherished. “Nobody else could imagine me leaving either, and I think that was part of the problem. I kept saying ‘You can’t do this. This is not right.This is not the way to treat people.'”

Donnelly described the experience as deeply upsetting. “But they thought ‘What is she going to do?’ It is very hard to leave. I was traumatised.”

Concerns Over Civil Service Regulations

A key element of Donnelly’s frustration stemmed from what she believes was an overly rigid request of the Civil Service code of behavior within met Éireann. Despite her dedication and accuracy, she found herself hampered by bureaucratic processes.

“I am flying in front of the camera. I always took every single weather forecast I issued 100 per cent seriously. I always did due diligence,” she asserted. Though,she explained that even simple tasks,like responding to media inquiries,became elaborate.

“But it was things like if I wasn’t explicitly on shift assigned to a media role, I had to get permission to answer a query from a newspaper about the weather.Which often left newspapers and radio going elsewhere for their soundbite.” This restriction, she felt, hindered her ability to effectively communicate important weather information to the public.

Future Focus: Climate Change Advocacy

Despite the difficult circumstances surrounding her exit, Donnelly is persistent to continue using her expertise and platform to address a critical issue: climate change.”I am going to use my voice going forward on that message of climate change,” she declared.She specifically emphasized the importance of directing accountability appropriately, stating, “Where blame should be sent to and definitely not to the farmers.” Donnelly’s commitment to raising awareness about climate change signals a new chapter in her career, one focused on advocacy and education.

Met Éireann’s Response

when contacted for comment, Met Éireann issued a statement acknowledging its position as a division of the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage. The statement emphasized the department’s obligation to protect the privacy of its employees.

“As an employer, the department has a duty to its employees not to disclose any information of a personal nature, and accordingly, the department does not comment on any matters related to individual members of staff,” the statement read.

It further highlighted that all Met Éireann employees are civil servants and are thus bound by the Civil Service Code of Standards and Behaviour, and also the department’s media and social media policies. The statement concluded by noting that civil servants have access to the Civil Service grievance procedure for addressing complaints.