Sun-lovers planning to bask their way through the weekend are being warned of a "slight interruption" because of a weak rain belt, which is likely to blot out their view of the skies for a short period today. Apart from the offending cloud - and showery outbreaks of rain - which will be moving from the west to the east of the country from early today, Met Eireann is forecasting that the fine spell will continue throughout the weekend.
This means that suncream, shades, hats and fans will again be required to cope with the heat. Ice-cream sellers can brace themselves for an upsurge in demand for, as everybody knows, the stuff can be difficult to resist once the sun comes out.
Temperatures probably peaked yesterday when they reached 27 Celsius in parts of south Ulster and the midlands, said Mr Gerry Scully of Met Eireann.
"They'll be in the low 20s, as against the high 20s, for the weekend," he said.
He expected "dry and settled weather with a good deal of sunshine". "It looks pretty good into early next week," said Mr Scully, who likes relating positive news such as this.
GAA action dominates the sporting calendar, and many thousands of fans are expected to cheer their teams on. The weekend highlight takes place in Croke Park tomorrow when Kilkenny take on All-Ireland hurling champions Offaly in the Leinster final. The Gardai have has warned that traffic near Croke Park will be restricted on Drumcondra Road Lower, the North Circular Road and Ballybough Road between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. tomorrow.
Hurling finals take place also in Connacht, where Roscommon take on Galway in Hyde Park, Roscommon. In Ulster, Antrim meet Derry in Casement Park, Belfast. The footballers of Down and Tyrone clash in the Ulster semi-final tomorrow, also in Casement Park.
As the holiday season continues, more than 174,000 passengers are expected to pass through Dublin Airport over the weekend.
Aer Rianta has advised passengers to use taxis or buses to get to the airport before they take off to the sun.
Those left behind will be hoping for more sun here next week. And the week after.
