THE SUN HAS come out today, and for the first time in what feels like a long time, there’s a heat in the air.
Met Éireann is forecasting that the weather will stay this warm for the weekend (though not necessarily dry), with possible highs of 19 degrees.
Outside an Age Action shop where chairs that are for sale are lined up outside, an elderly woman sits down, angling her face upwards slightly towards the sun.
Grafton Street is packed at the best of times, but today there’s a particular bustle of energy – a busker sings a soft song with the words “thank you for the sunshine”.
“All day it’s been very busy, it’s the start of the summer so people start wanting Gelato now,” a manager of Gino’s Konrad says.
He says they’ve made 200 litres of ice cream for the day, and isn’t expecting to run out if it. But they’re closing at midnight tonight, slightly later than their usual time of 11pm.
But where the sun can be a boon for some businesses, it can be an inconvenience for others: a number of people accused Powerscourt Shopping Centre of pouring water over its steps on South William Street to keep the crowds from sitting there in the sunshine.
“There’s a lot more people around. Definitely,” Catherine from the Duke Street flower stall said.
People are in better form. There’s nobody moaning. It’s just great. I think it just lightens everybody’s spirits.
She says that based on the footfall on Grafton Street, she’s noticed a lot of people wearing shorts, and says she’s seen “some sights” watching people pass by today.
“There’s loads of tourists too and it’s lovely for them to come and get a bit of sun, and are able to enjoy the city.
There’s nowhere nicer to be than Ireland when the weather is nice, is there?
In Trinity College, a queue of people line up to see the Book of Kells, some of which are wearing light raincoats.
On the large green outside the Pav, a group plays football, while music floats out from someone’s bag. Not everyone is drinking – but a lot of them are.
Along Dublin’s Canal Bank walk, there’s a similar vibe.
Two Deliveroo drivers sit and chat with their bikes propped up behind them. Women with a black chihuahua and a poodle bask in the sun together, while further down a dog leaps off the wooden platform for a swim.
Some people are taking a quick stop off at the canal during their walk; others have just come from work, still wearing blazers and lanyards. And some are students, meeting outside the Barge for a few drinks.
“We don’t get weather like this often,” one student says, who’s there waiting for their crowd of friends to arrive. Another adds that this weather won’t last, so we may as well enjoy it now.
“We won’t get weather like this again until June when the Leaving Cert is on,” she jokes. ”Any excuse for a few pints.”
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