Enjoy the craic, but keep our roads safe is the message from An Garda Síochána ahead of one of their busiest weekends of the year.
Last year’s St Patrick’s Day period saw a doubling in the number of drink driving arrests, while 15 people died on Irish roads in traffic accidents and a further 30 suffered serious injuries.
"Obviously we want everyone to enjoy the festivities that will take place around the country, but please remember that if you are celebrating and consuming alcohol, leave the car behind. This not only applies to the day itself, but also the morning after," said traffic bureau chief superintendent Mark Curran.
New figures compiled by gardaí show that twice as many motorists are arrested in and around St Patrick’s Day for suspected drink-driving compared to any other day in March over the last five years.
Paddy’s Day Weather
Pedestrians are also urged to remain safe, particularly those who have consumed alcohol.
"Two thirds of pedestrians killed on our roads have consumed alcohol. When you're walking under the influence of alcohol you're unsteady on your feet making you less capable of crossing the road safely and quickly, and more likely to fall over or end up on the ground totally out of view of oncoming traffic," said Moyagh Murdock, CEO of the Road Safety Authority.
Thousands of people are expected to flock to Dublin from all over the country for events including circus acts, food and drink festivals and culture trails which are taking place as part of the capital’s St Patrick’s Festival.
The weekend will act as an extended lead-in to the main event on March 17th when the St Patrick’s Day parade will be winding its way through the city streets, along with hundreds of other celebrations taking place in towns and villages nationwide.
Other notable events include St Patrick's festivals in Cork and Galway, Kilkenny TradFest and the Dingle International Film Festival.
Weather-wise, it looks set to be a generally dry and bright weekend throughout. Following a crisp start, Saturday will bring calm, sunny weather throughout the country with highs of 9 to 11 degrees expected.
Sunday will provide much of the same, however, temperatures are expected to dip slightly to around 6-8 degrees, and some showers may occur along the eastern coast.
The showers will continue on into Monday, and will become more isolated on St Patrick’s Day itself as temperatures recover and the clear conditions make a return.