Rock clocks go back for the weekend

Elder lemons of rock Status Quo and The Who - the latter who famously expressed in song their wish to die before they grew old…

Elder lemons of rock Status Quo and The Who - the latter who famously expressed in song their wish to die before they grew old - will plunge us four decades into the past for our music entertainment this weekend.

Both bands formed in the 1960s - long before many of those in their audiences in Dublin and Cork this weekend will have been born.

Traffic delays are a sure thing around Marlay Park in Dublin tonight and in Cork tomorrow and Sunday for those gigs.

Delays have also been reported in a number of spots around the country today due to various roadworks and events.

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Further delays are certain due to some major sporting face-offs in Croke Park and at other locations.

Sunday will be busy at Croke Park with two big matches scheduled. The Leinster Senior Football Championship semi-final between Laois and Wexford kicks off at 2.10pm, followed by the Leinster Senior Hurling Championship final pitting Kilkenny against Wexford at 4pm.

Unfortunately, the weather doesn't look set to play ball for those hoping the end of June might finally usher in a summer of sorts.

Met Éireann forecasts that rain will clear northwards on Saturday, with heavy or thundery showers to follow.

Tomorrow night will be mild, but showers will continue, and there may be spells of heavy rain. Sunday and Monday will be mostly cloudy and very showery, with only brief sunny spells, if indeed there are any, according to Met Éireann.

In traffic news today, there have been some delays on the M6 near Kinnegad due to a serious crash at about 10.30am. The emergency services are on the scene.

In Cork, the traffic has been very heavy in Fermoy, particularly on the Old Dublin Road at Oliver Plunkett Hill, where there are roadworks.

There will be diversions in place on the N4 at Carrick-on-Shannon this evening from 7.15pm to 9.30pm for a parade, and the town centre will be closed to all traffic, AA Roadwatch said.

There are also some delays on the Clonmel and Waterford roads into Kilkenny and around Irishtown due to the closure of a section of the Freshford Road.

In Kildare, the Barberstown to Celbridge Road is closed to traffic from 7am to 7pm each day until Saturday July 7th. Traffic should divert via Maynooth.

Motorists will note, with the customary joy reserved for such news, that new layouts will affect traffic on Dublin's M50 motorway from tomorrow.

From 6am in the morning a new layout will be in place on the northbound lane from the N7 Red Cow exit to the N4 Lucan exit. It will be in place until mid-August approximately, according to AA Roadwatch.

Motorists wishing to leave the motorway (ah, if only we could) at the N4 Lucan exit must stay in the inside left lane. Those travelling beyond the Lucan exit may use either the inside or outside lane.

On the music front, the eardrums of those living in south Dublin (and possibly further afield) will reverberate to the massive sound of The Who tonight. The re-formed rock band - still alive, but now rather old indeed - will play Marlay Park, and traffic is expected to be heavy around Rathfarnham before and afterwards. Gates open at 5pm.

Tonight and tomorrow, Justin Timberlake is live at the RDS in Dublin.

Cork's Live at the Marqueefestival continues, with The Who moving down to the People's Republic tomorrow night for their gig at the huge festival site on Monaghan Road.

Fresh from Malahide Castle tomorrow night, Bell X1 will surely play a blinding set at the Marquee on Sunday. The still-live-and-kicking Status Quo will bring their three-chord, head-banging rock set to the Cork stage on Monday.

The Howth Peninsula festival will bring major crowds to the coastal north Dublin town over the weekend. Full details and listings are available at http://www.howthpeninsula.com/

Racing continues at the Curragh this weekend. Tonight, the first race is off at 6pm and the last at 9pm. Tomorrow, the first runners are off at 2.10pm, and the last race will take place at 5.15pm. On Sunday, the races start at 1.30pm and finish at 5.45pm.