HELLO AND GOOD morning everyone, and welcome to the start of a short week after the Easter holiday.
Cianan Brennan here, I hope you’re all not too down about getting back to work after the extended break. Stick with me and I’ll bring you all the weather, traffic and travel news you need this Tuesday morning.
I’ll be here until 9am, if you spot anything you think we should know about you can catch me at cianan@thejournal.ie, or you can tweet me @ciananbrennan or @thejournal_ie.
Good morning everyone, it’s a grey, chilly day out there, but the rain seems to be staying at home for the time being.
It’s the first day of a short working week after the Easter Rising centenary celebrations. Did you enjoy them?
It’s also the first day of darker mornings and grand old stretches in the evenings after the clocks went forward.
Yawn… dark mornings.
First things first, there’s been a security alert on the main Dublin-Belfast rail line.
It has ended now and the schedule is back to normal, but there’s reduced capacity on the 7.35am Dublin-Belfast and 7am Dundalk-Dublin services, so get to your station nice and early if you’re planning on boarding either.
Shall we have a quick look at the weather? Sure why not says you.
It’s going to be cool, fresh and breezy today says Met Éireann, in keeping with the weather over the centenary weekend which was generally cool but fine.
There’ll be lots of sun this morning, but quite a few heavy showers in the west of the country, which will turn to longer spells of rain as the day progresses.
There’ll be thunder and hail, and - yikes – there’s even the possibility of sleet or snow in higher areas.
Highest temperatures will be relatively low at seven to nine degrees Celsius, with moderate to fresh southwesterly winds.
Here’s the rainfall radar:
After two days of strikes, the Luas is back operating as normal today. Just in time for people going back to work – boo.
Let’s have a look at how traffic is building in Ireland’s cities this morning, per AA Roadwatch.
In Dublin, traffic is busy on both the Swords Road and Phibsborough Road inbound on the north side.
The Samuel Beckett Bridge is currently busy. On the N4 M50 interchange at Palmerstown things are getting heavy, particularly at Con Colbert Road moving towards Heuston Station.
On the north quays there are delays from Inns Quay to Bachelors Walk.
Mercifully, traffic is still light on the M50 moving in both directions.
Here’s the Google traffic outlook for the city centre at present:
Meanwhile, AA Roadwatch reports that traffic is very busy in Galway city at the Galway Technology Park at Ballybrit Crescent. That aside, traffic is very quiet in or around the city.
In Cork, Limerick, and Waterford cities things are moving well.
There’s to be a bridge lift today in Waterford at 10am this morning mind you, so that’s worth bearing in mind, it should lead to minor delays.
There’s a major breaking news story on site at present – an Egyptian airliner flying from Cairo to Alexandria has been hijacked.
The plane has been diverted to Cyprus and is currently landed at Larnaca Airport. It’s believed the hijackers may have a bomb onboard.
Meanwhile, AA Roadwatch has this weather / traffic advice for drivers around the country:
How was your Easter Rising centenary weekend? We have to say, we had a collective lump in our throats at TheJournal.ie towers on Sunday, particularly when Captain Peter Kelleher read out the Proclamation of the Irish Republic outside the GPO.
Here’s a selection of the best images from RTÉ’s extravaganza Reflecting the Rising yesterday:
Remember, TheJournal.ie will be liveblogging the events of Easter Week 100 years ago each day this week. Here’s how yesterday’s liveblog played out as rebels seized key positions around the capital:
Here’s the pick of this morning’s breaking news from our 8 at 8:
#HIJACKED: An EgyptAir plane has been hijacked after leaving Alexandria and subsequently landed in Cyprus, with a suspected bomb onboard.
#SHOOTING: Police officers shot and injured an armed man at Capitol Hill in the US.
#HACKED: The US Justice Department has dropped a legal case against Apple after it unlocked an iPhone belonging to one of the San Bernardino shooters without the company’s help.
#ROADS A 69-year-old man died in Cliffoney, county Sligo yesterday afternoon after the car he was driving went into a ditch.
#COMMEMORATION: The 1916 Easter Rising centenary programme will resume today with ceremonies dedicated to the role played by James Connolly and the Irish Citizen Army. Catch up on yesterday’s events here.
Traffic is building steadily in Dublin and is now heavy at Conyngham Road next to the Phoenix Park and onto Parkgate Street.
From there the north quays are busy right the way through to the city centre at Bachelors Walk.
It doesn’t make for pretty viewing:
Avoid the north quays if at all possible seems to be the advice.
At the southern end of the country, things aren’t quite so chockablock on the Ring of Kerry. It looks lovely…
There’s been an incident at the junction between Talbot Street and Gardiner Street in Dublin.
Dublin Fire Brigade are in attendance:
Traffic can apparently get by, but it looks like things are approaching gridlock…
The award for diplomat of the day goes to Irish Rail.
The incident on Gardiner Street has now been cleared, though there may be some attendant delays as the traffic flow rights itself.
If you’re travelling in Limerick, avoid the N21 and take the N69 – that’s per AA Roadwatch.
There’s a fuel spill on the road between Abbeyfeale and Rathkeale, and an accident at Newcastle West. Best avoided.
In Dublin the M50 is now moving well both northbound and southbound, with delays at Junction 12 Firhouse having eased according to AA Roadwatch.
Traffic remains heavy on most inbound routes from the north, although delays at the N4 Lucan interchange appear to be easing.
On the south side, the Rock Road is busy from Booterstown Avenue, while the Stillorgan Road is busy approaching Donnybrook.
Here’s a little more detail on the collision in Limerick we mentioned:
Gardaí are advising all traffic to avoid the area, but motorcyclists in particular.
There are some delays now on entering Galway and Cork cities according to AA Roadwatch.
In Galway, traffic is busy but moving in both directions between Terryland Cross and Kirwan R/A on the Headford Road. The earlier delays at Ballybrit Crescent have eased, and the N17 inbound is moving well.
In Cork, there are delays on approach to the Dunkettle interchange. Traffic is quite slow entering the city centre also.
The Luas may be back (for a few days at any rate – the next strike is set for this Saturday and Sunday), but the Luas smartphone app may not have got the memo:
Ok guys, we’re going to wrap up the blog now for another morning.
It’s been a quiet one. No harm in that as everyone adjusts back to a working schedule.
Take care, travel safe, and we’ll be back with another blog tomorrow morning.
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