"GLORIOUS" weather is predicted for the next few days as thousands of people travel during one of the busiest weekends of the year with hundreds of festivals and summer events taking place.
The sun seems to have cheered everyone up and prompted acts of generosity. The National Lottery has even decided to add £1 million to its jackpot draw tonight, for no other reason, it says, than to "add to the sunshine excitement".
Met Eireann weather forecaster Ms Evelyn Cusack says there will be no rain until Tuesday, and perhaps beyond.
"This is fantastic weather, and we are experiencing much higher temperatures for this time of the year than usual," she said.
The Great Irish Famine event concert at Millstreet (without Bob Dylan but with Van Morrison, Shane McGowan, Brian Kennedy, the Corrs and the Saw Doctors); the Murphy's Cat Laughs comedy festival in Kilkenny; the Guinness International Cartoon festival in Rathdrum; and not forgetting the All Ireland sheepshearing championships in Roscommon, are just some of the events on offer.
Met Eireann has reported the hottest spring on record and is optimistic the summer ahead could also break records.
Today will see the warmest weather, reaching 27 C in some parts, with the best temperatures in the south west.
Iarnrod Eireann said the next few days will be one of its busiest periods of the year, while Bus Eireann expects to carry more than 100,000 people between today and Tuesday to the various events, which also include Listowel Writers' Week, the Irish Garden Festival and the final of the John Player Tops variety contest in Cork.
As many take to the water, and rediscover their barbecue units, the authorities have issued special warnings.
The National Safety Council said special care should be taken by people swimming, warning that no one should swim alone or after consuming alcohol.
Referring to the recent outbreak of E.coli in Scotland - associated with minced meat - the Eastern Health Board has warned those cooking barbecue food to defrost all meats thoroughly while making sure cooking is done properly.
Due to the extra traffic, delays can be expected on a number of routes, according to AA Roadwatch. These include the N11 between Bray and Gorey, the Galway road, the route to Sligo via Mullingar, the main road from Dublin to Belfast and the Navan road.