Marching bands for New Year's Day parade in Dublin

The traditionally tranquil occasion of New Year's Day is set for a rude awakening tomorrow when 600 musicians from marching bands in the US, UK and Ireland converge on the capital.

The inaugural Lord Mayor of Dublin New Year's Day parade will see eight marching bands - including one touted as America's number one college troupe - set off on three different routes through the city, arriving at Westmoreland Street for a collective performance at 1.30 p.m.

The Lord Mayor, Mr Royston Brady, is cutting short his honeymoon in Co Kerry to attend the parade, which is supported by Fáilte Ireland, Dublin Tourism, Dublin City Council and the Irish Hotel Federation.

Mr John Cox of US tour operator Atlantic Group Tours, which is organising the event along with Irish operators Abbey Tours, said: "Tradition- ally, New Year's Day in Dublin is a very quiet day with very few people around.

"This parade will give Dubliners, particularly families with young children, the opportunity to go out and enjoy themselves and be entertained."

The headline act is the collegiate band from James Madison University, which played at the inaugural balls of President Bush and President Clinton. For several years the band tried to come to Ireland for the St Patrick's Day parade but commitments in the US prevented it.

The organisers hope to make tomorrow's event a permanent fixture, expanding the number of bands to allow for New Year's Eve and New Year's Day parades.

On the sporting front, tomorrow remains a quiet day aside from traditional racing fixtures at Fairyhouse and Tramore.

Pockets of activity will be found, however, on a number of lakes and rivers, including the Drowse in Co Donegal and the Liffey in Co Dublin, particularly at Islandbridge, as the spring salmon season gets under way.

Hundreds of anglers are due to take up positions from midnight tonight in a race to land the prized first catch.

Bray, Co Wicklow, hosts its annual New Year's Day charity swim, starting at noon tomorrow at the southern end of Bray seafront. Set up 21 years ago, the event has raised more than €130,000 for local charities. This year's proceeds will go to the Bray and District Soroptimists Club to fund various activities, including meals-on-wheels and cancer support.

Tonight sees a host of New Year's Eve concerts in the capital, including The Frames and Damien Dempsey at the Olympia Theatre and Vicar Street respectively. In Galway, The Saw Doctors play at the Black Box Theatre in a gig being televised live on TG4.