You will have noticed that it is cold, wet and miserable out there. Add desperate traffic and a lack of public transport into the mix and you have a recipe for the classic St Patrick’s day weekend.
Those of a bah, humbug nature may even be wishing for another outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease so we can just go ahead and cancel the whole weekend.
In the capital this weekend we are looking at - big surprise - lots of wind and rain, with temperatures ranging from 5° to 11° Celsius. Munster, Connacht, Ulster, and the rest of Leinster are looking at much the same.
Weekend road closures in Dublin start tonight, with Aston Quay, Wellington Quay, Bachelor's Walk, Ormond Quay Lower, Ormond Quay Upper and Inns Quay shut from 8.45 p.m. to 10.30 p.m. for the "Glimmering" event, which will see the Liffey lit up and lots of music and entertainment events on the quays.
Tomorrow, the Big Day Out event at Merrion Square will mean Merrion Square West, East and South; Mount Street Upper; and Merrion Street Upper as far as the junction with Fitzwilliam Lane will be closed to traffic from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Fitzwilliam Street Lower will be closed from 2 a.m. to 11 p.m.
During tomorrow’s Skyfest and Sunday’s parade, traffic will be diverted away from the city centre as much as possible. Motorists seeking to cross the city are advised to use the East Link Bridge on the east of the city and Church Street, Bridge Street and the Coombe on the west side.
The Skyfest will cause traffic restrictions around the city centre from 6 p.m. to 8.30 p.m. Sir John Rogerson's Quay from Cardiff Lane to Britain Quay will be closed from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m.
On Sunday, for the main festival parade, the following streets will be closed from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.: St Stephen's Green, Cuffe Street, Kevin Street, Patrick Street, Nicholas Street, Christchurch Place, Lord Edward Street, Dame Street, College Green, Westmoreland Street, Kildare Street, Molesworth Street and Dawson Street.
From 7 a.m. to 2.30 p.m. O'Connell Bridge, O'Connell Street, Parnell Square East, Parnell Square West, Parnell Street to the junction of Parnell Square West and Granby Road will all be closed. From 7 a.m. to 4.30 p.m. Western way, Mountjoy Street and St. Mary's Place will be closed.
Also on Sunday, a ceilí will cause St Stephen's Green North from Dawson Street to Kildare Street to be closed from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Normal rail services to and from Heuston Station, Dublin, will operate today, but redevelopment work is leading to a reduced service on Saturday and Sunday.
On Saturday, the following trains will depart from Heuston: 7.10 a.m. to Cork, 7.20 a.m. to Galway, 7.30 a.m. to Waterford, 8.05 a.m. to Westport, 8.20 a.m. to Cork, 8.30 a.m. to Tralee and 8.45 a.m. to Limerick.
From 9 a.m. on Saturday to 1 p.m. on Monday, bus transfers will operate to and from Heuston Station. Passengers will be transferred between Heuston and Kildare for Cork and Kerry trains; Heuston and Newbridge for Limerick, Galway and Mayo trains; and Heuston and Athy for Waterford trains.
Control cards will be required by passengers wishing to travel from Heuston Station on all Saturday services up to 2 p.m. These cards are now available and must be booked in advance. Bookings may be made in person at Heuston Station or 35 Lower Abbey Street in the city centre.
Iarnród Éireann claims that 85 per cent of all rail customers using Heuston will be unaffected by the redevelopment work.
Bus Éireann services will operate according to normal Sunday timetables on St Patrick’s day, with a small number of cancellations.
Sunday services will also operate on Bus Éireann on Monday the 18th, with some cancellations and alterations.
The National Safety Council (NSC) has called on motorists to take extra care on the roads over the holiday weekend. Drink driving, speeding and not wearing seatbelts remained the main causes of road deaths, the NSC warned. The disruption of some rail services will lead to extra traffic on many roads.
The council said drivers should plan journeys in advance to avoid traffic jams.
Last year's St Patrick's Bank Holiday was the only long weekend of 2001 without a single road fatality. So far this year 83 people have died on the State's roads.
