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Good morning, Dublin!
Bright enough start, but don't be caught out without a jacket heading into lunch. Big Thursday this one. Gorillaz are back in the 3Arena for night two of the Mountain Tour, their second and last Dublin date. There's a major heads-up for anyone planning to travel by train this Easter weekend. A long-running campaign for a Dublin Mountains bus is finally getting somewhere. And Dani Larkin plays the Grand Social on the Northside tonight. Let's get into it.
⛅ WEATHER:
Today: 🌤️ Bright spells to start — high of 10°C.
This afternoon: 🌧️ Rain moves in from the west — 60% chance by lunchtime.
Tonight: ☁️ Cloudy with outbreaks of rain, low of 5°C.
Wind: Moderate southerly, strengthening through the afternoon.
Weekend outlook: Wet and windy Good Friday. Easter Sunday looking better with sunny spells. Check met.ie before any big plans.
📣 The Big Scoop : Easter Rail Disruptions — Read This Before You Travel This Weekend
The Gist: Irish Rail is running major bus replacements and transfers across several key routes from Good Friday through Easter Monday. If you're heading anywhere by train this weekend, you need to check before you leave the house.
The Details:
Dublin Connolly → Rosslare Europort: Bus transfer between Connolly and Bray — from Good Friday evening through Easter Monday morning.
Dublin Heuston → Galway: Full bus replacement for the entire journey. No train at all on this route.
Dublin Heuston → Westport: Bus transfer between Heuston and Athlone.
Cork area services: Further disruptions Saturday 4th and Easter Sunday 5th April due to ongoing resignalling works.
The DART is also suspended between Connolly and Dún Laoghaire from April 4th–6th.
👉 Why it matters: Bank holiday travel in Ireland is already mad. Add in replacement buses and suspended DART sections and it's a recipe for missed trains and frayed nerves. Plan ahead at irishrail.ie — and give yourself extra time if you're heading anywhere by rail this weekend. 🚂
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📰 NEIGHBORHOOD NUGGETS
Northside · Drumcondra / Fingal — Gardaí
Local TDs and councillors are piling in on the Garda numbers issue across the Northside this week and it's getting hard to ignore. Dublin Bay North TD Cian Brabazon is pushing for digital warrant applications — at the moment Gardaí have to physically travel to court for routine paperwork, sometimes losing two full working days. Meanwhile, out in coastal Fingal, Rush-Lusk councillor Corina Johnston says communities are being "left behind" as Garda numbers have actually fallen over the past 15 years — from 832 to 761 across Swords, Balbriggan, Malahide, Rush and Lusk. The Garda station in Swords, she points out, was built when it was a village. The town now has 40,000+ people. A lot of voices saying the same thing — whether anyone in Government is actually listening is another matter.
Southside · Dublin Mountains / Dundrum — Transport
Good news, kind of. The NTA has confirmed it's now drawing up plans for a brand new east-west bus link through the Dublin Mountains — connecting Tallaght and Dundrum via Glencullen, Ticknock and Tibradden. This is something locals and DLR councillors have been pushing since 2023, with nearly a thousand people signing the petition. The catch? Budget 2026 didn't fund any new services, so the realistic timeline is Budget 2027 at the earliest. Still — this is further along than it's ever been. If you live around Rathfarnham, Ballinteer, Knocklyon or Dundrum and regularly head up the mountains, keep a close eye on this one.
Southside · Rathfarnham — Schools
A lovely one out of Sancta Maria College this week. The school wrapped up a brilliant Active Schools Week, every morning started with exercise before classes, and PE staff say the difference in students' energy and focus was immediately noticeable. A few of the school's rising sports stars got up to speak to their classmates: sailor Cora McNaughton (Irish u19s), Dublin minor footballer Keeva O'Donovan, and world Irish dancing competitor Katie Campbell. These are teenagers representing Ireland at the highest level and it's great to see the school celebrate that. 🏅
Southside · Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown — Health
Renewed calls this week for legal action over the continued delays to the completion of a major hospital serving the southside. Local reps are now frustrated enough to be talking legal routes openly, which tells you everything about how long this has been dragging on and how little patience is left in the room.
☘️ The Feel-Good One
Gorillaz bring The Mountain to Dublin — Night Two at the 3Arena Tonight
If last night was anything to go by, tonight is going to be something. Gorillaz are back at the 3Arena for the second and final Dublin date of the Mountain Tour — doors open at 6:30pm, special guest on at 7:30pm. The reviews across the UK and Ireland have been brilliant: holographic visuals, a massive live band behind Damon Albarn, and a setlist spanning 25 years — Clint Eastwood, Feel Good Inc., DARE, and tracks off the brand new ninth album The Mountain, their first on their own label. This is their biggest Dublin run in years and tonight is the last chance to catch them. Limited tickets still available at mcd.ie 🎸
In case you missed it
📅 WHAT'S ON (The Thursday Planner)
Gorillaz THE MOUNTAIN TOUR 2026
The Plough and the Stars
Mark McCabe Tickets at 3Olympia Theatre
📢 WHAT’S THE SCOOP ON YOUR STREET?
📢 Spotted something on your street? Planning sign going up? New café opening? Something your neighbours need to know?
Help us keep Dublin informed , one neighbourhood at a time.
👋 WRAP UP
Enjoy the bright start this morning, the rain is definitely coming later. If you've got Gorillaz tickets, you're in for a good night. If you're heading somewhere by train this Easter weekend, check irishrail.ie first. And if you're free Sunday, there are very few better ways to spend an Easter afternoon than the DART to Lansdowne for Leinster v Edinburgh. 🏆
Back tomorrow morning with the Good Friday edition — what's open, what's on across the city, and all the Easter weekend craic. Enjoy your Thursday.
, The Dublin Scoop Team
