THE LONGEST day of the year will be marked this morning with a gathering at the Hill of Tara for the summer solstice.
The celebrations began last night and continued at 4am this morning as the sun rose on the longest day.
It was greeted by drums on the hill.
The solstice will be marked in less conventional fashion with a charity walk this evening through Dublin. The 8km walk begins and ends at Dublin Castle, and is scheduled to start at 6.30pm.
Two Dublin charities, Friends of the Elderly and Dublin Simon Community, are organising the event. This weekend is also one of the busiest for outdoor concerts, with Eric Clapton, Dolly Parton and Westlife all playing major outdoor gigs.
Clapton plays Malahide Castle tonight in his second Irish gig after last night's sold-out event at the Marquee in Cork. There is limited parking available and people are urged to use public transport.
Dance music fans will be heading to the second annual Planetlove Summer Session today at Fairyhouse racecourse in Co Meath.
Dolly Parton will have two performances over the weekend. She is at the Marquee in Cork tonight and plays in Kilkenny's Nowlan Park tomorrow as part of her "Backwoods Barbie" tour.