With St Patrick's Day falling on a Friday, many Irish people are set to avail of the three-day weekend to make a trip overseas, with 220,000 passengers forecast to depart between Thursday, 16th March and Monday, 20th March.

There will also be a steady flow of arrivals over the course of those five days, with 212,000 set to fly into Dublin Airport. Many of those will be coming to Dublin to enjoy the St Patrick's Day festival, which Dublin Airport is sponsoring, as well as the Six Nations clash between Ireland and England on Saturday.

DAA said they were working with Fáilte Ireland to ensure a true Irish welcome in the terminals at Dublin Airport over the St Patrick's weekend, with a number of Irish dancing groups set to entertain passengers at arrivals. With visitors set to come to Dublin from all over the world, a dedicated team of Fáilte Ireland ‘Meeters and Greeters’ will be in Dublin Airport’s Terminal 1 and Terminal 2 arrivals halls, providing a friendly face and a wealth of knowledge to guide passengers on their way to the festivities.

As part of the St. Patrick’s Festival celebrations, Dublin Airport is supporting a host of activities in Dublin’s city centre on Friday, including live music, bands, street theatre, interactive games, circus and science shows, talks, film screenings and lots more. The theme of this year’s festival celebrations is ‘ONE’, conveying a message of unity and welcome.