Good, bad and ugly weather forecast for bank holiday

Met Eireann has predicted the bank holiday weekend weather will be "good, bad and ugly".

Even though low cloud drifting in from the Atlantic will create the occasional patch of drizzle, those in the south and west of the country can look forward to a generally fine, although cloudy, weekend. However, the north and east may not fare so well, Met Eireann warns.

The organisers of Witnness at Fairyhouse racecourse are confident that whatever the weather, spirits will be high at the weekend's biggest event.

"The crowd will just roll around in the mud instead of lying in the sun", Ms Nicola Watkins, press officer for the festival predicts.

More than 40,000 are expected to travel to Fairyhouse at the weekend to see 69 acts performing on four stages. Saturday's highlights on the Main Stage include Leftfield, David Gray and The Undertones. Sunday's line up includes Travis, Beck and Paul Weller.

Festival-goers with thinning hair are politely advised by the Irish Red Cross to bring a hat in the event of warm weather. Waterproofs and comfortable shoes are also advised. There will be live broadcasts of the event on MTV and TV3 and a webcast on www.witnness.com.

It takes about 20 minutes to get from the city centre to Fairyhouse Racecourse on a good day, but commuters are advised to allow more time this weekend.

Traffic diversions near Fairyhouse will begin tonight at 10 p.m. and will affect the following areas: Ratoath Village near Ratoath Inn; the Kilbride side of Glascarn Lane; the Dunboyne side of Mullinam Lane; the Dunboyne side of Caulstown Lane; the N3 at Fanny's Cross and the N3 end of Porterstown Lane.

If Witnness doesn't appeal, there are plenty of other events. One of the highlights of the Mary From Dungloe International Festival in Co Donegal will be Daniel O'Donnell interviewing the Marys in the festival dome on Sunday night. Kieran Goss and Brendan Grace will also perform.

Spraoi, in Waterford, is expecting 50,000 spectators for a mix of music styles.

The Ulster American Folk Park in Omagh, Co Tyrone, will host a Frontier Festival celebrating the pioneering spirit of the emigrants who left Ulster for life in the New World in the 18th and 19th centuries.

International beauties of farming stock are gathering at the annual International Miss Macra Festival 2000 in Thurles, Co Tipperary. The festival, which is in its 29th year, began when pageant entrants from Austria, Wales, Switzerland and Austria met their host families who will put them up for the weekend.

Later today Miss Macra hopefuls will tour heritage sights in Tipperary and travel via vintage car to a civic reception in Thurles for the opening of the festival.

The winner will collect £1,000 and the title of International Miss Macra 2000.

In Dublin, the organisers of Funfest 2000 are holding a three-day street carnival which begins tomorrow. There will be an outdoor screening of Fargo in Meeting House Square at 10pm on Saturday night. It will be preceded by a special screening of a recent Irish short film, Headwrecker, by PJ Dillon.

The Galway Racing Festival draws to a close on Sunday, while on the same day Cork take on Offaly in the All-Ireland hurling semi-final in Croke Park.