Same here Brian, I was in Coleraine that very same evening and on the way home there was some gaps in the cloud through which I could see Venus which looked great. My Mum asked if that was the Christmas Star, I told her it was lol. When I got home it was 100% cloud. I'm eager to see if Mercury has made an apperance yet ahead of this conjunction. As for the forecast...I don't know if I will see much before Christmas unless there are gaps in the cloud. After the 25th it's set to get much colder so hopefully it is the good kind of cold which provides us with clear crisp skies. It will then be conjunction and comet hunting time.
I haven't used my camera since Dec 14th so I'm itching to do some imaging.... I'm worried that I have forgotten how to use it