It’s time to unpack the sunscreen and dust down the barbeque with temperatures expected to hit the mid 20s today.
Yesterday was the warmest day of the year so far, with a high of 24 degrees recorded in Castlederg, Co Tyrone.
Met Éireann says it will be dry and sunny across the country today with temperatures reaching a sizzling 25 degrees in some parts. The balmy weather will continue into tomorrow but with notably cooler temperatures of between 17 and 19 degrees.
Sunday will see a dramatic change in weather, however, with temperatures dropping by up to 10 degrees.
Forecaster Siobhán Ryan said the warm weather will be replaced by cool and breezy conditions on Sunday and Monday with highest temperatures of only 11 to 15 degrees.
“There’ll be a drastic change in weather over the bank holiday weekend with next week seeing temperatures well below average for June,” she said.
While the June bank holiday weekend is traditionally a weekend of festivals and fun, it is also, statistically, one of the most dangerous on the roads, and AA Roadwatch is warning motorists to be cautious.
The agency has also warned drivers that this is the first weekend since new measures on drink-driving have been introduced, and that gardaí will be obliged to carry out mandatory testing of drivers for alcohol at the scene of a crash.
Bishop Liam MacDaid, Bishop of Clogher, has also urged all road users: motorists, cyclists and pedestrians, to take special care of themselves and their loved ones this weekend.
There is a welter of events and festivals taking place this weekend ranging from Forbidden Fruit Festival at the Royal Hospital in Kilmainham to the Listowel Writers’ Week.
The gardening and food festival, Bloom, in the Phoenix Park, which runs until Monday, is again expected to attract huge crowds.
Also taking place is Flat Lake Literary and Arts Festival, which features US dramatist Sam Shephard.
On the music front this weekend, there is the Lismore Music Festival, the Castlebar Blues Festival, the Doonbeg International Jazz Festival in Co Clare, the Cuban-inspired Little Havana Festival in Galway city and the 10th annual Rory Gallagher Festival in Ballyshannon, Co Donegal.
Twins and multiples will gather in Carrickmacross, Co Monaghan tomorrow for a street parade in an attempt to set a record for the largest gathering of twins ever in Ireland. The parade will be led by formerly conjoined twins Hussein and Hassan Benhaffaf. Organisers hope to beat last year’s record of 231 sets of twins gathered in the same place at the same time.
Up to 15,000 runners are expected to take part in the Cork city marathon on Sunday, while some 40,000 women have signed up for the Flora mini-marathon in Dublin on Monday which organisers claim is the biggest all-women event in the world.
