Here comes the weekend, let the games begin

A piece of advice from ireland.comfor anyone needing to travel anywhere tomorrow - do it at either eight in the morning or four in the afternoon.

For that is when the Irish rugby and soccer teams begin their World Cup onslaught and try to save their Euro 2004 campaigns, respectively. The roads will be empty. I'd bet more money on it than on Ireland's chances in Switzerland. Still, one lives in hope.

Those who can abandon all hope, however, are people planning to travel on the southside's DART tomorrow. As you no doubt all know, considering this week's furore on the subject, Iarnród Éireann begins nine months of refurbishment on the line tomorrow that will see it closed every weekend, apart from the pre-Christmas rush in December.

Dublin Bus have stepped into the breach, laying on 60 extra buses in five routes - 7, 45, 46A, 59 and 84. However, the company warned the increased service "is not an attempt to replicate the DART", so expect some delays.

DART weekly and monthly tickets are not valid on the buses, but Iarnród Éireann have pledged to provide Rambler passes to season ticket holders.

There will also be bus transfers between Rosslare and Limerick for the foreseeable future due to this weekend's dramatic accident on the rail line that saw a cement train plummet into the River Suir at the Cahir Viaduct.

In other rail news, the Department of Transport have promised to have all major LUAS works in Dublin city centre finished by Christmas.

Elsewhere on the roads, motorists should be aware that 5,000 Fianna Fáil supporters will be in Killarney for an ardfheis.

The anti-bin tax protests are set to escalate with a march organised by the Dublin Council of Trade Unions tomorrow. It begins at noon at the Garden of Remembrance and is expected to attract several thousand people.

Air passengers may also face problems as the Aer Lingus cabin crew maintain their work-to-rule in a dispute over pay with the airline. The action has caused a number of flights to be delayed or cancelled over the past five weeks, although the carrier has pledged to keep the inconvenience to its passengers at a minimum.

Ryanair passengers to Stanstead should be aware the Stanstead Express will be closed every Sunday for 18 months for repairs, with a coach service operating between the airport and central London.

All ferries are sailing on schedule at present, and the sea area forecast is for reasonably settled conditions.

Weatherwise, it's not looking too bad for the weekend - tomorrow is expected to be mostly cloudy with patchy rain or drizzle, spreading eastwards from the west and northwest.

However, there will be sunny patches and temperatures will range between 15 and 17 degrees. Sunday is due to be even better, with sunny and warm conditions prevalent and temperatures in the high teens.