THE WEATHER is expected to provide a little respite to flooded areas this weekend but certain roads are to remain closed and public transport services will again be disrupted in some areas.
Met Éireann last night said there should be little rain between today and Monday. However, a flood warning remains in place along the lower River Shannon.
The forecaster predicted that showers would clear early today and that most places would experience a dry day with some sunny spells and temperatures of between five and eight degrees.
It said there could be some showers on western and northern coasts as well as some isolated coastal showers later tonight.
Aidan Nulty of Met Éireann said the weekend would mostly be cold and that there was a high chance of frost. “Hopefully it will improve the waterlogged conditions for those in the west and south of the country,” he said.
Tomorrow will be bright but cold with occasional scattered showers. Any rainfall is most likely to occur in coastal areas with some showers becoming wintry over hills.
Milder weather with freshening southwest winds is expected to spread from the west on Monday night. On Tuesday, many areas could again experience spells of rain.
“It looks unsettled over the rest of the week,” Mr Nulty said. “Maybe not the same level of downpours we have seen over the last while but some belts of rain will be moving across the country.”
Iarnród Éireann services have resumed between Dublin and Rosslare following a double landslide last week, but rail services between Athlone and Roscommon have been halted because of flooding, with bus transfers operating instead.
Trains between Longford and Carrick-on-Shannon and between Ennis and Limerick have also been cancelled, but Iarnród Éireann said all other services were operating normally.
Bus Éireann said services southwards from Galway were experiencing delays of up to 40 minutes due to road closures and diversions, but that its buses in Cork were operating normally with some diversions.
Gardaí said there were delays of up to one hour through Carrick- on-Shannon last night as the town’s relief road was under water. Motorists were also advised to continue to avoid Leitrim village. A stop/go system remains in place on the N4 near Drumsna.
The N18 Galway to Ennis road is still closed between Gort and Ardrahan and 40-minute diversions are in place via Craughwell and Loughrea. To access Gort from the Ennis side, drivers should divert through Blackwater. Crowe Street in Gort is impassable due to flooding.
A flood warning remains in place along the lower River Shannon. Areas concerned include Clonlara, Westbury and Shannon Banks.
A number of sporting events are taking place across the country this weekend, with the highlight at Croke Park in Dublin today, when Ireland meet South Africa at 2.30pm in a rugby international. The clash, which has been billed as the northern hemisphere’s finest taking on the reigning kings of southern hemisphere rugby, is a sell-out.
Elsewhere, today’s horseracing at Wexford has been cancelled but meetings at Fairyhouse are to go ahead today and tomorrow.
Meanwhile, a festival of french film continues today and tomorrow at the Irish Film Institute in Temple Bar, Dublin.