Plan to tame M7 'Highway to Hell' for AC/DC and Derby fans

A MAJOR traffic management operation is planned for Co Kildare this Sunday, with over 100,000 people expected to attend the Irish Derby at the Curragh and an AC/DC concert at nearby Punchestown racecourse.

Following the delays encountered by fans leaving last weekend’s Oasis concert at Slane, gardaí and event organisers are making a special effort to ensure that the M7 doesn’t turn into the Highway to Hell the Aussie dadrockers are wont to sing about.

Designated routes, traffic segregation for the two events and a park-and-ride facility for the AC/DC concert form part of the plan.

Met Éireann is forecasting another fine weekend in much of the country, with temperatures of up to 25 degrees, plenty of sunshine and just a few showers.

In Co Kildare, concertgoers are being urged to use public transport or a park-and-ride facility at Goffs, in Kill, with space for over 6,000 cars. Use of the facility and shuttle buses is free.

Junction 12 on the M7, at Newbridge, is being reserved for race traffic alone, which is expected to peak between 11am and 1pm for entry and 5pm and 7pm for exiting traffic.

Up to 25,000 people are expected to attend. Most of the 70,000 AC/DC fans are expected to be on the roads between 2pm and 5pm, when the support acts open the performance.

Motorists hoping to avoid the heavy traffic expected on the M7 by switching to the N81 Blessington face the added complication of a tractor run on this road. More than 300 tractors and a number of vintage cars are expected to take part in the Hillbilly Tractor Run, with the route affected from midday to 4pm between Ballyknockan and Blessington.

AA Roadwatch is advising drivers going to the various events in the area to plan their journey in advance and stick to designated routes.

Elsewhere over the weekend, there are a wide variety of festivals and other events to tempt all types of palate.

Leinster House in Dublin is hosting its second annual family day, at which the Ceann Comhairle John O’Donoghue will cut a ribbon to mark the 90th anniversary of the Dáil and greet some 8,000 visitors.

The Dublin Pride Parade, organised by the city’s lesbian and gay community, takes place in Dublin today, starting at 2pm in the city centre.

Westport’s international sea angling festival gets under way this weekend, as does the Coiste Patrun in Inis Mór with three days of currach and other boat racing.

Musically, Cork offers the start of the West Cork Chamber Music festival in Bantry, while Boyzone are live at the Marquee in Cork city.

For those who choose to stay at home, there’s always the Lotto, where the jackpot is expected to top €7 million.