Hospitals are urging the public to keep casualty units free for genuine emergencies over the festive season.
The Southern Health Board says it expects accident and emergency departments to be busy over Christmas and the new year and have asked the public to "use these services wisely". The local GP should be the initial point of contact in non-emergency situations, it says.
A spokeswoman for the Mater Misericordiae Hospital in Dublin said its A&E unit will remain open for those who are seriously ill or injured, but in non-emergency cases the public should contact their family doctor.
Meanwhile, shops, banks and other public amenities are informing customers of their opening hours over the coming two weeks.
Financial institutions are urging customers to "bank early for Christmas". The Irish Bankers Federation announced there would only be one day, December 30th, between Christmas and the new year when banks would be open.
Most supermarkets are to remain open on Christmas Eve, but are due to close on Christmas Day and New Year's Day, resuming trading on January 3rd.
Insomniac shoppers will be interested to learn Dunnes Stores branch at Cornelscourt shopping centre, Co Dublin, is to open for 24 hours tomorrow and Thursday. Superquinn in Blackrock, Co Dublin, will open on New Year's Eve from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Many branches of Tesco will also remain open on New Year's Eve.
The St Stephen's Green shopping centre in Dublin will be closed on Christmas Day, St Stephen's Day, New Year's Eve and New Year's Day. It will open for business again on January 3rd.
Many public amenities, such as libraries and local authority swimming pools, will be shut from tomorrow and are not due to reopen until January 4th. Movie fans are advised to check with local cinemas for opening hours. The Virgin Cinema at Parnell Street in Dublin will show movies on the afternoon on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve.
Motorists can expect a merrier Christmas with the news that the extensive roadworks on the N8 at Abbeyleix have been suspended until after the new year celebrations.
They can also expect a toll-free turn of the century. In a move worthy of a reformed Ebenezer Scrooge, it was announced yesterday that tolls will not be collected at the East Link or West Link bridges in Dublin on the night of New Year's Eve or on New Year's Day.
Dublin Bus's Nitelink service will operate nightly with the exception of Sundays, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. For the first time, a free shuttle bus will bring customers from St Stephen's Green East, South and West, Cuffe Street, Camden Street, Charlotte Way and Harcourt Street to link with Nitelink departure areas on College Street, D'Olier Street and Westmoreland Street.
Park 'n' ride facilities are in operation in Cork city for the holiday period. The Victoria Cross to Grand Parade service will operate daily, including Sundays, every 10 minutes.
There will be no DART, Bus Eireann, Dublin Bus or Iarnrod Eireann services on Christmas Day or New Year's Day, but a limited service will run for the rest of the time.
The Dublin Bus website can be consulted at www.dublin.ie Iarnrod Eireann's information line is 1850 366 222