Gardai have seized more than £10,000 worth of fireworks in Dublin city-centre in recent weeks. Some 60 seizures were made in the Henry Street/Mary Street area last week, with Saturday the busiest day, while £15,000 worth of fireworks were seized at a premises in Ashford, Co Wicklow, on Tuesday.
A Garda spokesman said that up to a dozen plainclothes gardai from the Store Street division alone were on fireworks patrol in the city-centre yesterday.
The procedure was to confiscate the fireworks rather than prosecute sellers, he said, although a man is assisting the i Garda with inquiries following the seizure in Ashford.
Extra gardai will be on duty in all Dublin's divisions on Sunday, Hallowe'en night, and in the larger towns around the State.
Millennial mania will give an edge to the Hallowe'en festivities as a group of drummers perform at three parties on both sides of the Border.
The ESB Millennium Drum Carnival will join Northern Ireland's Different Drums at Derry City Council's Millennium Programme today. The drummers will then journey to Belfast to perform in the city's Spirit of Belfast Hallowe'en celebrations tomorrow, and at the opening event of the musical and theatrical Belfast Festival at Queen's.
The drum carnival makes its last festival appearance in Wexford on the day of Hallowe'en itself, at the Millennium Party on Sunday night.
Dublin will celebrate Samhain with a Hallowe'en parade tomorrow. The parade, featuring marching bands, theatre groups and other artistic and community organisations, will leave Parnell Square at 7 p.m. on its way to Temple Bar.
A fireworks display at the Civic Offices will follow the parade at 8.30 p.m.