Sun worshipers have flocked to the beaches and parks today as temperatures reached a scorching 23C in some parts of the country.
Met Eireann said it was the hottest day of the year so far and even topped holiday destinations Lanzarote, Barcelona and Cape Town.
Among those enjoying the great weather were friends Emily Connolly, 14, and Laura O’Shaughnessy, from Drumcondra in Dublin who said they love to head to seaside to have a dip in the water when the sun comes out.
Emily said: “It’s like being in Spain on a day like today. We love coming here.
“It feels like a holiday. We are making the most of it.
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“We come in the summer but decided to come today as it is so nice out. The water is still freezing though.”
Meanwhile, brother’s Jamie O’Connor, 6, and five-year-old Josh, from Killiney, Co Dublin, were playing football in the People's Park in Dun Laoghaire with family.
And ice-creams were the order of the day with famous Teddy’s on the seafront of Dun Laoghaire in high demand.
Manager Shauna Proctor said they were run off their feet since the good weather started on Thursday.
She said: “We are very busy today. We are flat out and will probably be here until about 9pm tonight serving ice-creams. I was here last night until late.
“We will get even busier after work hours this evening when people come out for a walk and have an ice-cream as treat.
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“People still love the 99 ice-cream but another favourite this year is the hot chocolate dip ice-cream.”
And Terry Browne, who is from Dun Laoghaire, Co Dublin, was enjoying the sunshine with his dog Brian.
He said: “He (the dog) sings for the seals. They look at him and watch. They love it.
“The weather is just great.”
And it looks like the hot weather is set to continue this Easter weekend.
Saturday is set to be another scorcher for most areas, with temperatures of up to 22C on the way.
However, places with thicker clouds are to only see highs of 18C.
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Met Eireann said: “Overnight mist, fog and low cloud lifting. Warm and dry in many areas with hazy sunshine developing through the Munster and Leinster.
“Cloudier in Connacht and west and north Ulster with some misty conditions and patchy rain in places.
“Afternoon temperatures will range from 15 to 18 degrees Celsius in the cloudier areas to 19 to 22 degrees Celsius in the sunnier parts in light breezes.”
While Sunday looks set to be a dry day in many areas, thickening cloud may well bring some scattered rain to southwestern, western and north western coastal fringes during the evening.
But temperatures are still expected to lie between 15C and 20C.
And the latest indications suggest that Monday will be generally breezier, especially on the west coast.
It will be cloudy over western areas with the risk of some rain at times with maximum temperatures reaching 19C.
