Warm weather is not expected to last

Shorts, halter-neck tops and open-toed sandals got a long-awaited airing across Ireland yesterday, on what felt like the hottest day of the year so far. Although temperatures never actually passed Sunday's 25 degrees high, a lack of cloud made yesterday feel much warmer.

In Dublin, buskers and beggars benefited financially from a sun-induced bout of generosity experienced by tourists and locals alike.

Only the flower-vendors on Dublin's Grafton Street were not happy. "We usually do well of a Monday with men in trouble with their wives over the weekend," grumbled Ms Bridie Keeley, "but today there's no fighting. Everyone's in good humour because of this weather."

City workers stretched out their lunch breaks in St Stephen's Green. Jonathan Sims, visiting from England and just waking up from an afternoon snooze in the Green, said he was "wonderfully surprised" with the unusually good Irish weather.

Pubs and restaurants with outdoor seating did a brisk trade at lunchtime and, come evening time, beer gardens were crowded with workers making up for a day spent indoors.

It was hot and sunny throughout the country yesterday, with highs of 23 in Belfast and Kilkenny and 24 in Limerick. However, parts of the north and north-west were not so lucky, with scattered showers through the day.

Meanwhile, spoilsport meteorologists are predicting doom and gloom as the week progresses. Mr Michael Cleary of Met Eireann said July was unlikely to continue as pleasantly as it had begun. "That's it. That was the good day," he said.

He predicted showers would spread through the country today. "For the rest of the week the weather's going to be a lot more unsettled and we're not going to see the temperatures of the last few days repeated."

Temperatures will drop mid-week as winds blow from a northerly direction. There could also be a risk of thunder by Thursday. "The weekend will see no dramatic improvement," he said.