Culture and Croker to fore this weekend

Highbrow entertainment and sporting excellence are expected in Dublin this weekend with the capital hosting its second Culture Night this evening and the All-Ireland Senior Football Final on Sunday.

Up to 80,000 people are expected to attend hundreds of free exhibitions, tours, talks and performances across Dublin tonight as part of Culture Night Dublin 2007, with more than 80 venues in the city keeping their doors open until 10pm to wow culture vultures.

Events range from flamenco dance classes, Chinese fan-making demonstrations, floodlit tours of Croke Park, and a glimpse of the Book of Kells, with museums, galleries, theatres, libraries, historic houses, cathedrals, artists' studios and cultural centres opening throughout the city.

Dublin Bus will be providing courtesy transport between locations in Temple Bar and north Liffey, Trinity College and Docklands, and the South Georgian, North Georgian and Heuston and Museum quarters.

If that wasn't enough, the 13th annual Dublin Fringe Festival continues across the city.

However, Dublin isn't the only place serving up a bit of culture this weekend. The Galway Jazz Festival opens tonight with the Roberto Magris Quintet kicking things off at the Hotel Meyrick in Eyre Square. Other artists performing in the city over the next few days include the Benny Lackner Trio and the Galway Jazz Festival Youth Orchestra.

For those who prefer big bruisers to be-bop, Croke Park beckons with Kerry and Cork battling it out on Sunday in the 2007 All-Ireland Senior Football Final. Kerry are bidding to win the Sam Maguire back-to-back for the first time since Cork achieved the feat in 1990.

The AA has warned that extremely heavy traffic is expected to leave from the south early on Sunday morning as supporters travel up to the capital. Delays are predicted, particularly at Abbeyliex and Mouthrath.

In Dublin, there will be two supervised car parks open from 10.30 a.m. near Croke Park at Clonliffe College, Clonliffe Road, and O'Connell School, Richmond Street. Coach parking will be available at Mountjoy Square.

Met Éireann is predicting a mixed weekend weatherwise.

Saturday is expected to be mild and breezy, with rain becoming more widespread in the north and west and turning persistent. Sunday will be mild and breezy, with the rain and southwesterly winds spreading southeastwards to all parts.