Northern Ireland has recorded its warmest ever Easter while most of the island has basked in generous amounts of sunshine over the holiday weekend.
A temperature of 21.4 degrees was recorded in Armagh on Easter Monday, beating the previous record of 21.1 degrees in Co Fermanagh in 1984. Easter Sunday also saw record temperatures in the North.
Met Éireann does not keep comparative figures for Easter weather, but a spokesman said the Republic remained "almost bone-dry" over the weekend with plenty of sunshine in most areas. "We've done pretty well, all considered," he remarked.
The warmest places on Monday were Mount Dillon in Co Roscommon and Finner in Co Donegal, where temperatures reached 21.7 degrees. This was only slightly lower than the 22.1 degrees recorded in Dublin’s Phoenix Park on Easter Sunday.
Tuesday is set to be another good day across most of Ireland, with temperatures varying between 17 and 21 degrees. Some showers are expected in southern and western areas in the morning, but these are expected to pass by afternoon.
Change
The bad news is that the weather is set to deteriorate from Wednesday, when rain will fall over much of the country and temperatures drop to standard April value of 13-17 degrees as a cold front moves up from the south.
Thursday will remain showery, with longer spells of rain also forecast. The weekend will be a mix of wet and windy weather, with some drier spells too.
Throughout Britain, Easter Monday was a day of record temperatures, led by the mercury hitting 25 degrees at Heathrow and Northolt, in London, and Wisley, in Surrey, a full 1 degree higher than the previous record set in 2011.
Easter fell later this year, a factor that would have influenced the temperatures seen. Easter Sunday fell on April 21st, just four days before the latest possible date for the Christian festival.
The good weather brought large numbers out to events and seaside locations, with the Garda press office reporting short-term traffic congestion in the afternoon around Malahide Castle and other visitor attractions in Dublin.
The dry weather forced the organisers of the Irish Grand National at Fairyhouse Racecourse to water the track before the big race.
