Late night Luas services begin tonight

The festive season is upon us and Luas is gearing up for it with the introduction of  its late night Christmas services this evening.

Luas will be running after-hours services throughout December to ensure that revellers can get to and from their destinations safely.

The services will run until 3 a.m in the morning and customers will face a fixed fare of €4 with tickets available to purchase at machines on station platforms.

While most people will be heading out to the shops this weekend, there's plenty of distractions for those not ready to face Christmas shopping just yet.

Traditional rivalries will be put to the test at the RDS when Ireland's reigning strongest man, Jason Riley, takes on the current UK and former European strongest man, Glenn Ross in a car lifting and pulling competition at Motorshow Ireland.

The event promises something for everyone from displays of modern and classic cars never before seen in Ireland to exhibitions of driving skills, car launches and even a beauty contest. For the children there is a specialist area with events and entertainment for the younger car enthusasists.

Rivalry of another sort is expected on Sunday when St. Patrick's Athletic meet Derry City FC in the FAI Cup final at Lansdowne Road.

DART specials will operate before and after the match and the public is warned that because of the large number of people due to attend the match, no trains will stop at Lansdowne Road and Sandymount stations between 2.25 p.m and 2.45 p.m. In addition, Grand Canal Dock station will be closed from 4.30 p.m to 6.00 p.m.

Meanwhile for those who are looking to get in to the festive spirit over the weekend, a traditional Christmas market begins today in Wolfe Tone Park in Dublin offering tasty fare from over 20 stalls.

The weekend promises little in the way of sunshine with Met Éireann predicting very unsettled weather with severe winds at times.