All roads lead south to Dublin for All-Ireland final

All roads will lead to Dublin this weekend as the marauding Ulster hordes descend on Croke Park for the All-Ireland football final.

Around 80,000 Tyrone and Armagh supporters, plus untold numbers of ticketless hopefuls, are set to descend on the capital over the weekend. Dublin and Laois play in the minor final.

Motorists are warned to expect serious delays on Sunday morning on the N1, N2 and N3 and in the opposite direction that evening.

Gardaí are recommending motorists take the Malahide, Drumcondra, Ballymun, Finglas and Navan Roads to the stadium, all of which will be clearly signposted. They are also reminding motorists they will need to have change for the tolls on the Drogheda bypass.

There will be parking at Clonliffe College on the Clonliffe Road, at St Joseph's School on Grace Park Road and at O'Connell's School on Richmond St North.

Whatever about the struggle for parking, it will pale into insignificance compared to the action on the hallowed turf of Croker. It'll be war.

War is also on the minds of the several thousand people who are expected to attend a protest march through Dublin city centre tomorrow. Organised by the Irish Anti-War Movement, the Peace and Neutrality Alliance and the NGO Peace Alliance, participants will be protesting at the ongoing presence of US-led troops in Iraq and demanding the handing back sovereignty to the Iraqi people as a matter of urgency.

The march will begin at 2.00 p.m. at the Garden of Remembrance, Parnell Square and end at Government Buildings, Merrion Square.

Met Éireann is forecasting a generally cloudy day in Ulster and North Connacht tomorrow, with risks of showery rain at times. It will be mostly dry elsewhere with just a few passing showers. Sunday will be mostly dry with bright or sunny spells throughout the country.

Rail passengers are advised that there will be a number of shuttle buses replacing trains on the Limerick to Ennis line, due to essential maintenance.