It happens every year, but it never gets us any less gleeful.

After a fairly rotten winter (looking at you, Storms Desmond and Jonas), we seem to finally be emerging out the other end.

Yes, it's still bitterly cold and intermittently lashing rain, but the evenings are slowly getting brighter and the people of Ireland are positively GIDDY.

Last night the sun didn't set until 5.50pm, and Twitter had an absolute field day.

People could barely string sentences together, they were so excited:

Grand stretch lads… GRAND STRETCH #grandstretch

— una oboyle (@una_oboyle) February 22, 2016

 

There were a lot of post-work pictures:

#grandstretch pic.twitter.com/wJcqe1CdVe

— Ailbhe (@AilbheH) February 22, 2016

Dublin looked great this evening! Phoenix park in the distance. @LovinDublin #photography pic.twitter.com/aNtxTd9KiP

— Modern Metrogent (@ModernMetrogent) February 22, 2016

 

Some regressed into Irish Mammy-isms:

Well sure isn't it great to see the sun at half 5 in the evening. #grandstretch

— Killian (@killianleahy) February 22, 2016

 

People have long attempted to figure out why we get such indescribable joy from leaving work to a still-bright sky, but it's just one of those THINGS, isn't it?

Me : "Can you quantify the stretch?" @Ianoc90 : "You can, but you can't quantify it's significance"#philosophy #grandStretch #shiteTalk

— Paddy O'Reilly (@paddy2k) February 15, 2016

Ah, the #grandstretch. Long may it last.