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THE EASTER WEEKEND is finally here, the Bus Éireann drivers are back and the weather looks alright.
But just to make sure you’re caught up on the travel updates – here’s a quick catch-up on what’s flagged to happen.
Also keep a look out for Cruinniú na Cásca events, which will begin this weekend for the first time. The culture festival is part of official Easter celebrations, and might explain some of the big crowds or city centre traffic delays this weekend.
BUS STRIKES
Bus Éireann strikes are off for the weekend, thank god (literally). But there are delays and limited services due to the Easter weekend. Here’s what you need to know.
Bus Éireann
Good Friday: Normal Friday services will operate including the following nightrider services: 101N, 109N, 126N.
Saturday: Normal services will operate in all areas.
Easter Sunday: Normal services will operate with the following alterations:
Easter Monday: Normal Sunday services will operate with the following alterations:
Other Buses
Dublin Bus, Dublin Coach, and Aircoach services will operate as normal, and Citylink‘s routes to Dublin, Galway, Limerick and Cork aren’t affected.
Cork‘s suburban bus network is run by Bus Éireann, so it has no services. Nor does Galway or Waterford.
Kilkenny, Nenagh, Thurles and Clonmel are still being served by Bernard Kavanagh and Sons’ private bus.
Limerick’s EuroBus service is unaffected by the strikes. Bus Feda will be operating between Donegal and Galway while Wexford Bus will be running as usual from Wexford. City Direct will be running across Galway city.
None of the country’s 36 rural transport schemes have been affected.
RAIL
From 7pm today until close of business Sunday, the lines between Connolly and Howth/Malahide/Skerries will be closed for essential line works.
Full service arrangements for Northside Dart, Northern Commuter and Enterprise are available here.
Today, Good Friday
Saturday
Easter Sunday
Easter Monday
DRIVING
With an increase in the number of motorists on Irish roads expected between now and Monday, motorists are advised to be extra careful particularly as many motorists will be travelling on routes they’re not used to.
“Any time we have a long weekend we tend to see changes in certain people’s driving behaviours.
“Not only do we see an increase in drink-driving levels, but we also see an increase in irresponsible driver behaviour as people rush to try to reach their destination as quickly as possible,” according to Conor Faughnan, AA Director of Consumer Affairs.
The Easter weekend also coincides with the gardaí launching new roadside drug testing for cannabis, cocaine, opiates (like heroin and morphine) and benzodiazepines (like valium).
“Long weekend or not we need to keep our roads safe and there is no excuse for driving while drunk or failing to drive carefully.”
WEATHER
According to Met Éireann, today will be a dull day starting with some patchy rain eventually spreading southeastwards.
The rain will clear later and it will become mostly dry with clear spells developing on Friday night. It will turning cooler and winds will fall light leading possibly to some grass frost.
Saturday is likely to be dry with some sunny spells, says Met Éireann, but scattered showers may affect the north.
The influence of the high pressure to the south of Ireland may extend into Easter Sunday with mostly dry conditions over the south but outbreaks of showery rain may push into the parts of the northwest and north.
But the high pressure may weaken by Easter Monday with some patchy rain likely at times.
Top temperatures will range again from 10 to 13 degrees.
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This has been going on for many years but I’ve yet to see any virtue signalling Facebook or The Journal profile pictures displaying the DR Congo flag.
@Dan Broderick: That might be because Ukraine is a fellow European country, that more directly affects us, we have more of an affiliation with their plight; we host 60,000 Ukrainian refugees and we see the effects of the war daily on TV news and websites. It more directly affects us, regardless which side we favour.
And I suspect if we were to look at Facebook profiles of Congolese people from the region, and other peoples of neighbouring African countries, near were this massacre happened, I wouldn’t be surprised if they lack Ukraine flags but display various indications of Tutsi and Hutu support, they might not be directory involved but have a side they support, because their neighbours got massacred this time or previously (ca. 5.4 million dead though war and famine in the last 25 years or so). What do you think?
I suppose it would be virtue signalling if Irish people started showing Hutu flags in or Hutus started showing Ukraine flag in their profiles. But that’s not what is happening.
@Dan Broderick: careful now, you’ll have your comment deleted. Seems the journal delete every comment they don’t like! Censorship deprives the public from perspective
@John White: Does it?
@John White: https://jrnl.ie/5938495
@Gavin Conran: there’s a big difference in deleting comments that are factual and not identifying anyone in particular vs making hurtful accusations against an individual, guilty or not it’s for the courts to decide. That’s not what I’m disputing, I have had multiple comments deleted that were PC and factual as have many others.
The UN are a complete waste of space.
@Mike Dunne: fully agree.
animals
@joe doyle: animals are far and away better than these so called human beings.
@joe doyle: Animals, financed by the biggest conglomerates in the World. The Congo was plundered by Belgium before independence only to be replaced by big business. The Congo is blessed or plagued by the minerals that’s found there. Our mobile phones work because of Cobalt which is mined in the Congo. Diamonds Gold are just a few of the resources that is fought over in proxy wars in the Congo.
The Gov in the Congo uses the Russian mercenary group, Wagner, as it’s security force and a sister company holds most of the mineral mining rights as payment. Be very careful before you jump to any conclusions about events in Congo!
@Liam Dunne: The use of mercenaries in the Congo since it’s Independence has been the norm. South Africa has been a major source for mercenaries funded by Western Big business. The last thing the conglomerates want is the Division of the Congo to unite and have a stable government. Kinshasa broke away from the rest of the Congo after Independence, It was the richest part of the Congo in minerals etc. They had no problem in using mercenaries from Europe, Rhodesia,South Africa paid for by mining companies. Nothing has changed. The mineral wealth of the Congo makes it a battle ground for proxy wars.
They are worse than animals. Savages. With no civil or human morals. There has to be something that can be done with savages like these that are slaughtering innocent villages of people just trying to live their lives. They should be massacred themselves. Them and their ilk raping children and babies as a tool of their power. Big power with their machetes and machine guns. An absolute disgrace that this is still going on and there are Supposedly UN troops designed to tackle these so call armies. Why is this still happening. There are too many movies made from actual events and record of these events throughout the years and they make for disturbing viewing and yet even though acknowledged, there is more and more still allowed to happen without proper intervention from powers that be. SADLY
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