The biggest publishing event of the year will be heralded at midnight on Friday with broomsticks, wizardry and every-flavour beans, writes Kitty Holland.
Over a quarter of a million copies of the latest Harry Potter installment, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, have been pre-ordered by book shops around Ireland and publishers Bloomsbury have imposed a strict embargo. No sales will be allowed until a minute past midnight on Saturday morning.
Many bookshops will be opening their doors the second the clock strikes midnight on Friday so that readers, big and small, can get their hands on the most-fervently anticipated book of recent years.
Perhaps the biggest party will be at Eason's bookshop in O'Connell Street, Dublin.
Mr Martin Black of Eason's said staff will be dressed as wizards and witches while organising games and a quiz-zitch, quidditch being the favoured pastime of the pupils of Hogwart's, school for wizards.
"We also plan to have a visual laser display on the front of the building and lots of prizes and a great party atmosphere. People are very excited. We have been getting an awful lot of calls from people wanting to know when it's going to be available and putting in advance orders."
He said he expected "many hundreds" of people at the special opening and promised there would be food and light drinks "for all ages".
Waterstone's in Dawson Street, Dublin, which is also opening at midnight on Friday, will have face-painting and wizards. There are due to be live owls at the party in the store.
The Dublin Bookshop in Grafton Street will likewise open its doors at midnight, with competitions, a magician and enough Bertie Bott's every-flavour beans to satisfy even the most ardent fans of liver and tripe flavoured sweets.
Other Eason's outlets, in Dawson Street, Dublin and Cork, are also opening at midnight on Friday.
So too are the Dubray Bookshops in Blackrock and Stillorgan, Alan Hanna's in Rathmines, and Nimble Fingers in Stillorgan - all in Dublin.
The Kilkenny Book Centre, the Waterford Book Centre, the Wexford Book Centre and O'Mahony's bookshop in Limerick will open at midnight on Friday, while Mahony's in Ennis and Tralee will open early, at 8 a.m. on Saturday.
Waterstone's two branches in Belfast will open at a minute past midnight on Saturday, and reopen at 8 a.m. the following morning.
Meanwhile, British police were yesterday hunting thieves who stole a lorry packed with copies of the new Harry Potter blockbuster. A trailer containing 7,680 copies of Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix was stolen from a trading estate at Newton-le-Willows, Merseyside, at around 10.30pm on Sunday night. The total retail value of the books, if sold at full price, would be around £130,000. Merseyside Police initially thought the value of the haul was in the region of £1 million but later said it was less after receiving fresh information from publishers Bloomsbury.