Busy weekend of sun, sport and music ahead

Met Éireann has forecast that after a cold start, following overnight frost, temperatures will rise to between 13 and 17 degrees tomorrow amid sunny spells and light winds.

The outlook for Sunday is also good for the majority of the country with bursts of sun breaking the cloud cover and daytime temperatures rising to about 13 degrees in many parts of the country. However, light rain is forecast to move over Ulster and this could spread southwards as the day goes on.

Sports fans will be keeping an eye on events in Dublin this evening, as the Leinster rugby team looks to cement its position at the summit of the Magners League when they face the second placed Ospreys at the RDS. Kick off in Ballsbridge is at 7.05pm.

The Ulster team, which was forced to rearrange its plans because of the ash plume and travel to Scotland by ferry, face the Glasgow Warriors in the evenings other Magners League tie at 7.05pm.

Tomorrow, Connacht and Munster will square off at the Sportsground in Galway. The home team will be eager to avenge the 35-3 drubbing they received in the reverse fixture at Thomond Park on St Stephen's Day.

There is also a busy weekend of horseracing ahead, with a meet at Dundalk getting proceedings underway at 6.25 this evening.

This will be followed tomorrow by meetings at Naas in Co Kildare, Leopardstown in Dublin and Tramore in Co Waterford, where there is further racing action on Sunday afternoon. 

Away from sport, organisers of the Waterford Festival of Food are vowing to show anyone who makes their way to Dungarvan between tonight and Sunday "all that is good about gastronomy". 

The festival consists of cookery demonstrations by internationally renowned chefs, talks and walks, food art exhibitions, childrens workshops and family picnic in the park. Further details are available from www.waterfordfestivaloffood.com. 

In Cork, a traditional music, song and dance festival takes place in Ballydehob. Féile Átha Dá Chab gets underway tonight with sessions throughout the village's seven pubs and continues tomorrow and Sunday with workshops in traditional music and dance, as well as concerts and ceillis.

In Dublin, students of Trinity College will be able don their glad rags and take in performances from Dizzee Rascal and Digitalism at the Trinity Ball tonight. 

Elsewhere, diva Whitney Houston has moved to assure her fans that her performances at the O2 tomorrow, Sunday and Tuesday will not fall victim to the ash related travel chaos. 

"When Whitney was made aware of the airport closures due to the volcanic ash, she made the decision to drive from Birmingham to Dublin via the ferry, so that she would not disappoint her Irish fans," a spokeswoman for Houston said. "She is delighted to be in Ireland and is very much looking forward to performing..."