Good news for those hatching weekend plans, Met Éireann is forecasting that the rain expected for this weekend will blow away, leaving sunny skies for egg-hunters to forage under on Easter Sunday.
While Saturday will be cold and breezy with rain and sleet for a time and widespread frost at night, Easter Sunday will start dry, bright and fairly sunny according to the weather forecaster.
The Easter skies will also be brightened up by a hot air balloon fiesta taking place in Co Meath. Trim Castle will be hosting a unique gathering of special shape hot air balloons from tomorrow until Monday, with Easter egg hunts, face-painting, carousels, storytelling, balloon modelling, inflatable games and festival style market stalls taking place.
In rugby, Munster will play Leinster at Thomand Park tomorrow at 8.05pm. Restrictions will be in place around the stadium and motorists are advised to expect delays. Bars will open in Limerick for the match following a ruling by city's district court. Pubs will open between 6pm and 11.30pm in Limerick city and the suburbs of Raheen, Castletroy, Annacotty, Corbally and Dooradoyle.
Also in the Magners League, Connacht will take on Edinburgh at 6pm tomorrow at the Galway Sportsground.
The Titanic Made in Belfast festival will take place from tomorrow until Sunday 11th April. Among the events at the festival are a Titanic - Past and Present exhibition at Belfast City Hall, Titanic talks and a Titanic commemoration service.
In Dublin, an Easter 1916 commemoration ceremony will take place at the GPO on O’Connell St on Sunday 4th April. Motorists are advised that O’Connell St will be closed between O’Connell Bridge and Parnell Square from 5am to 3pm to accommodate the event.
For kids, a number of Easter egg hunts are taking place throughout the country. In Co Westmeath, Glendeer Pet Farm is hosting an egg hunt at 3pm on Saturday, Sunday and Monday. At Newgrange Farm in Co Meath, children can take part in painted egg competitions, a quiz and sheep stakes - a sheep race with teddy jockeys - over the weeekend.
At the GAA museum in Dublin, members of the public are invited to take part in an ‘eggstra’ special Croke Park stadium tour with clues to locate some Cadbury’s chocolate eggs. There will also be a Madhatters tea party in Deerpark, Dublin on Sunday complete with a tea cup ride, giant chess, croquet, a hat walk, balloons, and an Easter trail.
In Co Clare the Easter bunny will be making an appearance at the Ailwee Cave treasure hunt for kids, while in Louth, Scotch Hall in Drogheda will be hosting a Lindt chocolate Easter bunny hunt at 2pm on Sunday and an Easter egg workshop where kids can paint their own Easter eggs.
Racing will also feature over the weekend at Cork, Fairyhouse and Dundalk racecourses from Saturday.
More than 212,000 passengers are expected to travel through Dublin Airport over the course of the Easter Bank Holiday weekend. More than 1,700 flights will arrive and depart during this time including 40 charter flights for holiday-makers in search of sun over the Easter holidays.
The Dublin Airport Authority are advising passengers to be in the terminal building at least 90 minutes before their flight departure time irrespective of whether they are checking in at the airport or have checked in on-line.