Holiday drivers urged to avoid jams

KINNEGAD. Kildare. Arklow. Newry. Balbriggan. By the end of today, the name of one or other of these traffic blackspots is likely to be etched on the foreheads of thousands of weary motorists returning home after the bank holiday.

Once again, the Automobile Association is predicting severe traffic congestion as seemingly half the country's population shuffles back from west to east.

But for those who have yet to venture out, there are still plenty of holiday festivals and other events running. The choice includes comedy in Kilkenny, cartooning in Rathdrum, blues in Castlebar and tall ships in Dublin.

The AA's advice to motorists is to plan journeys to avoid the worst period of congestion, between lunchtime and 5 p.m. If motorists do get stuck in a jam, the AA's advice is to sit back and relax, as the chances of finding an alternative route are slim.

The National Safety Council has appealed to drivers returning home to take extra care on the roads. Motorists should give themselves enough time to do their journey without stress, and avoid driving more than two hours without a break.

Both Bus Eireann and Iarnrod Eireann say they expect to carry 100,000 travellers apiece today as the bank holiday weekend winds to a close. No suburban trains will operate from Dublin today, while DART services will operate to a Sunday timetable.

Weather conditions are likely to add to the stresses of jam stricken motorists. Met Eireann is forecasting a wet and windy day, with only a gradual clearance later in the day to sunshine and scattered showers. Temperatures will range from 15 to 18 C, mild enough but hardly conducive to that first sea swim of the year.

For those with the energy and cash, there remains a wide choice of bank holiday fun. The Dublin Maritime Festival closes with the departure of the 18 tall ships and a fleet of Galway hookers from Sir John Rogerson's Quay. A river swim in aid of motor neurone disease takes place at 11 a.m.

At the Royal Hospital Kilmainham, the Irish Garden Festival is open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. The Heineken Blues Festival concludes in Castlebar.

The Battle of Clontarf gets its final re enactment at the Leixlip Salmon Festival this afternoon at 3.30 pm. Some 160 ferocious "Vikings" will re enact the battle of 1014. A photography exhibition, street entertainment, a theatrical pub crawl and a bridge gala complete the day's festivities.

The last day of the Guinness International Cartoon Festival in Rathdrum, Co Wicklow, features workshops, a public seminar on cartooning and a slide show.

The Murphy's Cat Laughs Comedy Festival in Kilkenny has proved a resounding success, with over 10,000 visitors so far. In spite of a shortage of accommodation and the inevitable traffic congestion, the feedback from those attending was overwhelmingly favourable.

Most of the festival's big names - such as Eddie Izzard, Bill Murray and Sean Hughes - were booked out in advance, but the disappointed comedy fans could still choose from up to 50 other comic acts. In response to the huge demand, the Irish comedian, Ardal O'Hanlon, is playing an extra show at 6 p.m. today.

The organisers say plans for next year's festival now said to be Europe's second biggest, after Edinburgh - are already well advanced.