Image: Kathryn Reilly

A new bill has been introduced in the Oireachtas this week entitled 'Brighter Evenings Bill 2012'.

It proposes that Ireland move to Central European Time (an hour ahead of our current time) to ensure a bit of an extra stretch in the evenings, at they say, all year round.

It would mean that we would be permanently one hour ahead of Britain and Northern Ireland – which would surely create some teething problems.

Is it a decent idea? I've compiled a list of five benefits and five drawbacks for moving to ECT.

The Good

1. Extra hour on a night out

Picture the scene: You're in The Fiddlers in Carrickmacross, Co Monaghan enjoying a Saturday night out. 2.30am comes and everything finishes up. No more music, no more dancing , no more drink, no more 'one last chance' at getting the shift.

Fear not! Hop into a taxi, bomb it up the road, and 15 minutes later you've travelled back in time, and you're on a dancefloor in Crossmaglen, throwing more shapes than a baby with a bucket of Lego!

2. Fantasy Football

I couldn't resist throwing this one in for all us FPL nerds. The fantasy football transfer deadline closes at 11.30am every Saturday morning.

That usually entails a ten minute panic as we try to shuffle money about to be able afford Robin Van Persie, until alas, we miss the deadline – or the site crashes due to the sheer volume of last minute managers trying to sort their team out.

However, if we were an hour ahead, the deadline wouldn't be until 12:30pm on a Saturday for us. Giving an extra hour to decide upon your line-up, panic free.

3. The Simpsons

Image: The Simpsons Best Moments

Won't somebody please think of the children?

Am I the only one that can never decide whether to watch the episode of The Simpsons that's on RTÉ 2 at 6pm, or the episode that's on Channel 4 at the same time? 

Well that will be one tough life decision we'd never have to make again, if the brighter evenings bill passes!

4. Christmas

Yes, Christmas. Easter too. In fact everything in the calender year that's worth looking forward to could be one hour closer this time next year. 

So Santa would be visiting an hour earlier on Christmas Eve. Children in the border counties would be out cycling their new bike, while laughing in the faces of Northern Irish children who are still in bed.

In terms of New Year's Eve, the good folk of Cavan, Monaghan, Louth, and Donegal could ring in the new year twice (see reason 1)!

5. Brighter Evenings

Image: Horia Varian

Well obviously.

The Bad

1. Utter Confusion

Image: Shannon Gaels GFC

Blacklion in Co Cavan is home to Shannon Gaels GFC. If you stand at one end of the pitch you have perfect coverage on your phone, but stand at the other end and your phone tells you that you're in the UK. 

So what in the Lord's name would be happening if the time zones were different?! 

Half the pitch would be playing away to their heart's content, while down the other end of the field, the match wouldn't be starting for another hour!

2. Television

We watch almost as much TV, if not more, on UK channels than we do on Irish channels. So if we went to ECT, television would be all over the place!

The BBC News at Ten would be at eleven. Deal or No Deal, Countdown, The Chase, Eggheads, they'd all be thrown awry.

And as for anyone hoping to watch the 5:30pm Premier League kick-off on a Saturday evening, the 'It's grand Mammy, it'll be over in time for Winning Streak' excuse wouldn't cut it any more!

3. GAA

Image screengrab: Paul Kelly

It would create havoc within the GAA. The counties in Northern Ireland would have to leave an hour earlier for matches in the south. The tea would be gone cold, and the sandwiches gone stale!

God help the lads on the Ulster GAA Council, when they'd be trying to organise the provincial championships. And God help the fans in Donegal if they had a match in Monaghan.

Sure they'd be going back in time as they travelled through Northern Ireland, and then forward again as they arrived in Clones. They're body clocks would be all over the place!

In fact I'm beginning to think this whole Brighter Evenings Bill is all a clever rouse by the GAA. They're trying to do everything they can to scupper the unstoppable Donegal All-Ireland winning team!

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4. Watching major US events 

Image: Barack Obama

Hands up who stayed up extra late last week to watch the drama as the results of the US Presidential election unfolded?

Well you'd be staying up even later again if our clocks go forward. We'd be six hours ahead of New York, and you'd need a calculator to figure how far we'd be ahead of the rest of America!

The golf and wrestling would be ruined as well. No more trying to get away with staying up a bit later for the US Open or the PGA Championship, or no more staying up for Wrestlemania or the Royal Rumble!

My life would be over.

5. Darker mornings

Image: Ha-Wee

Yes brighter evenings would ipso facto mean darker mornings.

So what do we think? Good idea? Bad idea?