There were traffic tailbacks of several miles on many main routes across the Republic last night, putting a further dampener on the wet start to the bank holiday weekend.
Motorists hoping for a quick escape from Dublin today may be disappointed, as the heavy traffic looks set to persist until late in the evening.
AA Roadwatch advised motorists to avoid peak-time journeys and urged them to allow plenty of additional time for travel. Drivers were also reminded to expect more heavy traffic from mid-afternoon or early evening on Monday.
The Minister for Transport, Mr Brennan, called on motorists to make safety on the roads their top priority during the weekend. "All accidents must be regarded as preventable," he said.
Iarnród Éireann expects up to 200,000 passengers to travel by train over what is is traditionally the busiest weekend of the year. The Dublin-Cork route will be particularly busy over the weekend and only limited space will be available on scheduled services between the two cities today.
A spokesman for Iarnród Éireann said that extra trains would be provided on the Cork-Dublin and Galway-Dublin routes on Monday to cope with the increased numbers of people travelling.
In Dublin, the DART line between Connolly Station and Clontarf Road will be closed until Tuesday due to continuing works on the East Wall Bridge. DART services on the north side of the city and Drogheda suburban rail services will operate a limited service during this period.
Numerous festivals throughout the country will contribute to the traffic congestion. The Dublin City Marathon begins at 9 a.m. on Monday and will cause traffic disruption in the south and north city until mid-afternoon.
The various festivals offer excellent entertainment value. The Culchie Festival, which has become something of a male version of the Rose of Tralee, takes place in Fethard, Co Tipperary. Cork is hosting the annual Jazz Festival, one of Ireland's most celebrated social events. Kinsale, meanwhile, is holding its own Fringe Jazz Festival on what is usually the town's busiest weekend of the year.
In Belfast, the Arts Festival kicked off last night at the Waterfront Hall, with energy and excitement set to continue over the weekend and beyond.
In Wexford, opera and more is on offer, with the annual Wexford Festival Opera attracting many visitors.
The weather today will get off to a showery start and will finish up wet and very windy in the evening. The wet and windy conditions are expected to continue throughout much of tomorrow, according to Ms Sarah O'Reilly, of Met Éireann. A bright and "better" day on Monday is expected, although there will be some showers. Daytime temperatures are not expected to rise above 9 or 10 degrees during the weekend.
As southerly gales and rain lashed the west coast yesterday, the Galway Race Committee announced that it was cancelling tomorrow's race meeting at Ballybrit.
An inspection of the racecourse early yesterday confirmed that the ground was waterlogged. The race committee said that there would be another inspection on Sunday morning to determine whether Monday's meeting could go ahead.