No, folks, today is not the shortest ...

Just a note for those of you who figure today is the shortest day of the year, well, you got it wrong, as, it seems, have most of the local media, writes Brian Byrne.

The Winter Solstice this year is actually tomorrow, and precisely at 4.49am for the anoraks. Tuesday daylight is, in fact, just one second shorter than today, at seven hours, 45 minutes and 44 seconds. Today, by the way, is seven seconds shorter than yesterday was.

So for all who fear they missed it, you can still get up early tomorrow. And to put it into perspective, the Winter Solstice this year is eight hours, 57 minutes shorter than on the June Solstice 2015.

Our picture shows what things were like at the Dun Ailinne monument at this time in December 2010 ... a tad less wintry today.