Rain heralds return of Irish summer

After one of the warmest Junes on record, temperatures are expected to fall this weekend with rain forecast in many parts.

The exceptional run of warm weather is due to be overtaken by a more familiar pattern of intermittent rain and cooler temperatures, Met Éireann said.

The agency said more persistent rain will develop along the west coast during tomorrow afternoon and spread eastwards through the evening, with highest temperatures of 16 to 20 degrees.

Tomorrow night will be wet and quite windy with rain spreading across the country from the west, it said. While Sunday will start off dry and sunny, heavy showers or longer spells of rain will spread from the west to all areas in the afternoon.

Up to 60,000 people are expected to descend on the Co Limerick town of Adare this weekend for the fourth annual Adare Village Festival, which starts today and runs until Tuesday.

This year’s event at Limerick Racecourse includes live music, local and national art exhibitions, food and craft markets, street entertainment, and history and heritage tours.

Tiger Woods is due to make his first appearance at a golf tournament outside the US since his return to the sport when he takes part in the JP McManus Pro Am Golf Tournament at Adare Manor. He will be joined by fellow professionals Rory McIlroy, Lee Westwood, Paul Casey, Pádraig Harrington, Ernie Els, José Maria Olazabal and Jim Furyk alongside a host of stars from the world of show business.

The three-day Pet Expo, featuring a host of exhibitions, events and activities dedicated to pet lovers, returns to the RDS in Dublin this weekend. Dog owners are encouraged to bring along their canine companions and participate in the many interactive activities. All types of family pets, not just dogs, will be feature in the event, including cats, birds, equestrian, fish, reptiles and other “small caged exotics”.

Waterford’s Spraoí in the Park festival also begins today in the People’s Park. The three-day event offers revellers a blend of music, street theatre, art installations and cinema, with Sunday’s Spraoí Parade marked as the headline event.

One of the more unusual events this weekend will be hosted by Dublin musical instrument store, Musicmaker, which plans to conduct a staff recruitment drive with a twist. Instead of submitting CVs and or attending interviews, interested parties are invited to take part in a “sales job audition” whereby contestants get three minutes to show how they’d sell an instrument of their choice.

There are several full-time and part-time posts available, and the auditions will take at the shop on Exchequer Street between 10am and 7pm tomorrow. “We’re looking for natural sales staff. Since the recession, we have been inundated week after week with CVs and emailed job applications. However, written applications do not display the applicant’s personality or their ability to sell. For this you really have to meet face-to-face and give them a sales audition,” said Musicmaker’s business manager John Paul Prior.