BANK HOLIDAY WEEKEND:THE JUNE bank holiday weekend is shaping up to be the busiest of the year so far with every conceivable type of entertainment on offer at festivals and events up and down the country.
However, the balmy weather of recent days, which saw temperatures climb as high as 25 degrees in many parts yesterday, will not last, say the forecasters.
While today will remain sunny and dry with slightly cooler temperatures of between 17 and 19 degrees, Met Éireann is forecasting a prolonged bout of unsettled weather for all parts of the country from tomorrow.
Forecaster Siobhán Ryan said the warm weather will be replaced by cool and breezy conditions tomorrow and into next week with temperatures falling by up to 10 degrees.
Tomorrow and Monday will also see scattered heavy showers in northeastern parts with occasional showers along the east coast where it will remain overcast for much of the day, she said.
“There will be a drastic change in weather over the bank holiday weekend with next week seeing temperatures well below average for June,” she said.
The nights will become particularly chilly on Tuesday and Wednesday with ground frost likely in rural areas.
Dublin City Council has again appealed to householders and business to conserve water and to minimise usage where possible.
Water restrictions may be “unavoidable” in Dublin during the summer months if demand increases, the council warned.
There is a welter of events and festivals taking place this weekend ranging from Cork’s Maritime Festival to the Forbidden Fruit Festival at the Royal Hospital in Kilmainham which features top acts such as Flaming Lips, Aphex Twin and Jape.
Some 40,000 women have signed up for the Flora mini-marathon in Dublin on Monday which organisers claim is now the biggest all-women event in the world.
Up to 15,000 runners are expected to take part in the Cork city marathon, also on Monday, which includes a half marathon race and a team relay competition.
Details of the race were unveiled earlier in the year by Irish Olympic silver medallist Sonia O’Sullivan who will be making her fourth appearance in the marathon.
In Kilkenny, the annual Carlsberg Cat Laughs comedy festival continues until Monday, with Ardal O’Hanlon, Barry Murphy, Andrew Maxwell and Tommy Tiernan among the acts performing.
Up to 20,000 people are expected to attend the All-Ireland Sheep-Shearing Championships also in Kilkenny, where some 2,000 sheep will lose their wool over the weekend.
The gardening and food festival, Bloom, in the Phoenix Park, which runs until Monday, is again expected to attract huge crowds.
On the music front, there is the fourth annual Clancy Brothers Music and Arts Festival in Co Tipperary, the 10th annual Rory Gallagher Festival in Ballyshannon, Co Donegal, and the Lismore Music Festival featuring an opening night performance of Don Giovannitonight.
There is also the Castlebar Blues Festival, the Doonbeg International Jazz Festival in Co Clare as well as the Cuban-inspired Little Havana Festival in Galway city.
This weekend also plays host to the Flat Lake Literary and Arts Festival in Co Monaghan and the conclusion of the Listowel Writers’ Week.
Probably the most unusual event this weekend will see twins and multiples gather in Carrickmacross, Co Monaghan, today 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.
