Many shops, public transport services and other facilities will be closing early today for the Christmas holiday. Tens of thousands of people will already be off work because many firms and offices closed on Friday evening.
As the last of the crowds travelling before Christmas head for their destinations, services on Iarnr≤d Eireann's Intercity routes will terminate early today at times varying across the State. There will be no train services on Iarnr≤d Eireann or Northern Ireland Railways on Christmas Day or St Stephen's Day.
In Dublin, DART and suburban rail services will finish early tonight. The last DART trains will be at 9 p.m. from Howth and at 9.12 p.m. from Bray, both of which will terminate at Connolly Station.
On Thursday and Friday DART services will resume on a Saturday schedule, as will Drogheda, Maynooth and Kildare suburban services.
On Bus Eireann today, normal weekday services will operate apart from some cancellations. All Eurolines cross-channel services will be cancelled and also the following Expressway services: 6.15 p.m. Killarney-Limerick; 8 p.m. Dublin-Galway: 9.30 a.m. Tralee-Galway via West Clare; 10.30 a.m. Galway-Tralee via west Clare.
There will be no Bus Eireann services on Christmas Day.
On St Stephen's Day there will be a limited service on principal Expressway routes, Cork suburban routes and the Limerick-Shannon-Ennis route. Cork city bus services will operate as on Sundays.
There will be no city services in Galway, Limerick and Waterford, and no town services in Dundalk, Drogheda, Athlone, Sligo and Navan. Eurolines cross-channel services will not operate.
In Dublin tonight the last buses will leave the city centre at 9 p.m., although some from Heuston Station, Dublin Airport and Ferry Port will operate later. There will be no Nitelink services and no Xpresso (Cityspeed) sevices. There will be no buses on Christmas Day, and a Sunday service will operate on St Stephen's Day.
The main supermaket chains will be open today but will not stay open late.
Dunnes Stores, which opened at 8 a.m. this morning, will be open until 5.30 p.m. They will reopen on Thursday morning. At Tesco, some stores will close at 5.15 p.m. and all will have closed by 6 p.m. They will reopen on Thursday, when they will close around 6 p.m. Superquinn stores will be closed from 5.15 today until Friday morning.
Marks & Spencer stores will close at 5 p.m. today and open again on Thursday at 8 a.m.
All banks will close today at 12.30 p.m. and open again on Friday for normal banking hours. Post offices will close at 1 p.m. today and reopen on Friday.
Medical services will be reduced, but emergency provisions will be in place over the holiday.
Dr Brian O'Shea, communications officer of the Irish College of General Practitioners, said people should be aware of what their own GPs' arrangements would be over the Christmas period. If they needed a GP on Christmas Day or St Stephen's Day they should telephone as early as possible.
Hospital accident and emergency departments will be open.
