There was heavy use of fireworks in Dublin last night as the Hallowe'en celebrations began without major incident.
One caller to The Irish Times described the scene in Donnybrook as being "as bad as Baghdad", with gardaí in the area acknowledging that the number of fireworks being let off was more than was usual at this time of the year.
A spokesman for Donnybrook Garda station said there seemed to be an increase in the number of people hosting private parties in the area to mark the occasion, with one result being that the quality of the fireworks on view also seemed to have improved greatly this year.
Although fireworks are illegal in the Republic, short of obtaining a warrant, gardaí do not have the power to stop their use on private property, a spokesman for the Garda Press Office said.
The situation is not helped by the fact that the majority of fireworks come from the North, where their sale is not prohibited.
A spokesman for Dublin Fire Brigade said that although the night had been busy, it was "nothing spectacular".
Hallowe'en, along with New Year's Eve, are usually the fire service's busiest nights of the year. The bad weather of the past few days also seemed to have encouraged people to save their fireworks for Hallowe'en night itself.
The situation in Galway was similar to Dublin, with gardaí reporting that the night was "busier than last year", although they experienced little trouble.
Gardaí in Cork, however, described the situation as "quiet to very quiet".
Likewise, Donegal and Limerick gardaí reported a quiet start to the night.
Although gardaí in Clare reported plenty of activity, including eggs being thrown at gardaí, they described the situation there as "not too bad".