Ferry services are expected to bring record numbers of people to the Republic between now and the new year. On December 27th alone, Irish Ferries expects 10,000 passengers to arrive at Dublin and Rosslare. Most of them, it says, will be Irish nationals returning to join their families for the new year celebrations.
Both Stena Line and Irish Ferries will operate throughout the Christmas and new year period, with the exception of Christmas Day, St Stephen's Day and a period from New Year's Eve to the evening of January 1st.
The Christmas Eve ceremonies at Dublin's Pro-Cathedral will be broadcast worldwide tomorrow night in a telecast also involving Pope John Paul II. The Pro-Cathedral will represent Europe in a live TV link-up with the Pope's Christmas Eve Mass and with the opening of the Holy Door at St Peter's to mark the beginning of the Great Jubilee Year. The telecast begins on RTE 1 at 10 p.m.
The Saturday night Lotto draw scheduled for Christmas Day will be replaced by tomorrow's Lotto draw. The Christmas Eve draw features a special prize for match-5-plus-bonus-number winners. This comprises the usual pay-out of £7,500 plus a £1,000 cheque for winners each week until the end of 2000.
Eircom says that all telephone calls will be charged at weekend rates from midnight tomorrow to midnight on January 3rd. It says that this is the first time these rates have applied through Christmas and the new year.
Banks will be open on only one day next week, Thursday, December 30th, according to the Irish Bankers' Federation.
Swimming and other water-based charity events are expected to be held by various charities over the holiday period, but Irish Water Safety has urged organisers to have rescue facilities in place and to notify the Irish Marine Emergency Service of the location and time of events.
Mr Frank Nolan, the chairman of IWS, urged people to postpone Christmas swims in the event of inclement weather or a heavy sea swell on Christmas Day. He said that children should not be allowed to skate on lakes or ponds which freeze over, as the ice in Ireland is rarely strong enough to bear the weight of a child. He also advised motorists to drive with extreme care at locations close to water. "They should not drive on to a pier if they are not familiar with the location. There is also a danger of cars skidding into unprotected rivers."