WARM, SUNNY weather is expected to continue all weekend as dozens of outdoor music, cultural, family and sporting events take place throughout the country in the last bank holiday until August.
Temperatures of 17-22 degrees are expected as dry spells and warm sunshine are set to continue. Showers will develop in some areas in the afternoons and may be heavy. However, the nights are expected to be dry, with mist and fog.
Garden-lovers will be out in force as the Bloom 2008 festival in Dublin's Phoenix Park is expected to attract more than 50,000 visitors. The festival was officially opened by President Mary McAleese yesterday, who described it as "the catwalk of Irish horticulture". The event is on all weekend, including Monday, at 10am-6pm. Tickets cost €21-€25 per adult and are available at the gate.
The streets of Kilkenny will be packed this weekend as more than 61 comedians perform in the Smithwick's Cat Laughs Comedy Festival which runs until Monday.
A fleet of tall ships, boat trips on the Liffey and Dublin's largest outdoor market are all part of the Dublin's Docklands Maritime Festival which runs from 11am today until Monday. Another maritime festival is the Rosscarbery Festival by the Sea which runs in the Co Cork town until tomorrow.
Music fans of almost every persuasion will be catered for this weekend. Westlife will play to their biggest crowd ever, with more than 80,000 people expected to flock to their sold-out gig in Croke Park, Dublin, tomorrow. Mary Black plays two concerts at Vicar Street, Dublin, tonight and tomorrow while Irish singer Gemma Hayes plays Cyprus Avenue, Cork, tonight.
Rock and blues fans are gathering in the town of Rory Gallagher's birth for the Rory Gallagher International Tribute Festival in Ballyshannon, Co Donegal, until tomorrow. Alternatively, the Castlebar Blues Festival featuring 30 concerts runs until tomorrow.
The World Bodhrán Championships opened in Milltown, Co Kerry, last night and the grand finale will take place tomorrow.
The Carrickmacross festival runs until Monday and includes a daily French market. The Leixlip summer festival features a fireworks display at 10.30pm tomorrow. The "strongmen" of the town will take part in a tug-of-war competition on the main street on Saturday.
Meanwhile, women from all over Ireland will be vying for the title of Blue Jean Country Queen in Athboy, Co Meath, tomorrow night.
On Monday more than 40,000 people are expected to compete in the Flora Women's Mini Marathon in Dublin, while more than 8,000 athletes are due to line up for the Champion Sports Cork City Marathon.
Bank holiday motorists and others using both the M50 Red Cow roundabout and the M50 Ballymount junction have been advised to take extra care due to significant diversions which come into effect from today. Under the changes, M50 southbound to N7 westbound traffic at the M50/N7 (Red Cow) interchange will be diverted south to the Ballymount Junction. When it reaches here, it can turn back to the Red Cow Junction via a dedicated "freeflow U-turn" lane and the northbound N7 "off-ramp".