Festival fever as Ireland revels in return of sun and 25C temperatures
MOTHER Nature is set to smile on Irish festival goers as sunshine and warm temperatures make a welcome comeback over the next 72 hours.
Met Éireann said that while the August bank holiday weekend – the busiest tourist weekend of the summer – will get off to a cloudy and damp start, today and tomorrow will feature spells of good sunshine and temperatures as high as 25C.
This afternoon and Sunday will boast the best weather conditions with Munster and Leinster set for sunshine and warm temperatures.
South Dublin, Wexford and Wicklow will boast the finest weather with temperatures of 25C or possibly higher tomorrow afternoon.
Connacht and Ulster will unfortunately see spells of sunshine broken with cloud and drizzle.
The good forecast will be a boon for festival goers.
More than 40,000 fans will flock to the All-Ireland hurling semi-final replay in Thurles between Clare and Galway while the All Ireland football quarter-final clashes take place over the next two days.
But the biggest attraction this weekend is the Spraoi Street Theatre Festival in Waterford, which is expected to attract up to 100,000 people.
Spraoi has grown into one of Europe’s most popular street festivals and will boast 250 different attractions.
Organiser TV Honan said this year marks Spraoi’s 26th anniversary.
Mayor of Waterford Councillor Declan Doocey said the event was hugely important.
“Spraoi is much more than just a festival – it is one of the best examples anywhere in the world of a community-rooted arts project,” he said.
In Cork, more than 10,000 music fans were flocking to the Indie 18 festival in Mitchelstown which features headline acts including Primal Scream, Jake Bugg, Walking on Cars and Hudson Taylor.