It may be the weekend, but if you're looking for some decent sunshine you should really be in France, Spain, Italy or any of those idyllic Mediterranean locations.
If you're staying at home bring your brolly and your sun-cream because, according to Met Eireann, it will be a mixed weekend, with some sunshine today and lots of rain tomorrow .
However, if the quality of hurling is good enough, fans at tomorrow's All-Ireland senior semi-final between Kilkenny and Waterford might be able to keep their minds off the weather. They will have to have some patience because there will be traffic restrictions from 8 a.m. onwards on roads around Croke Park. Gardai have warned spectators not to bring air horns or hand-held smoke flares, flag poles, bottles or cans to the match because "they are dangerous and their use could lead to serious injury". Gardai are empowered to seize these devices under the Firearms and Offensive Weapons Act, 1990, according to the Garda Press Office.
Sun-worshippers need to be out early to get the best of the sunshine this morning when it will be bright and dry with temperatures of 16C to 19C in most places. The north and west won't get as much sun. Cloud is expected later in the day, and winds will be moderate to fresh. However, keep the sun-cream handy because the sunburn index shows that average skins will begin to burn after 30 to 35 minutes, and sensitive skins will start to suffer in less than half that time.
Tomorrow is definitely a day for umbrellas and light clothing as there will be rain everywhere. It will be warm and close with a lot of humidity, because the north/north-west winds today will swing around to south/ south-west.
There won't be much in the way of sunshine, and it will definitely be wet and quite windy with fog over hills and coasts.
The midlands will have a bit of a dry spell in the middle of the day, but during the evening and tomorrow night there will be more rain. If it is any consolation, the Benelux and Scandinavian countries face similar conditions.
For those venturing to the beach today the National Safety Council has again advised the public to be vigilant and take proper precautions. "We would ask people to swim in pools or beaches where there are lifeguards on duty," said the council's information officer, Mr Gavin Freeman. He confirmed that the council had no statutory powers to compel swimming-pool operators to have lifeguards on duty.
His comments follow figures from the Irish Marine Emergency Service which has had 951 emergency calls so far this year. One hundred of those were since the beginning of August. Mr Jeff Livingstone, chief of operations of IMES, said that up to the end of July 2,090 people were "assisted or saved" by the service, which is soon to have a new name. It will be called the Coastguard Service but will still carry out its current functions.
Mr Freeman also advised swimmers to take heed of any warning notices. If people were swimming in an area they were unfamiliar with, they should ask somebody from the locality whether it was safe.
"A beach might look great, but it could be unsafe," Mr Freeman added. Bathers should not swim alone and should stay within a safe standing depth. If children were being brought to the seaside, parents "have to watch them all the time. A child can drown in only a couple of inches of water".
