May kicks off with sunshine

The month of May started out as April ended, with abundant sunshine and warm temperatures.

The dry start to the month follows a record breaking final day of April when Athenry in Galway registered 25.9c, beating a 41-year-old temperature high for the month set by Glenties, Donegal, in 1984.

The next 10 to 14 days will bring largely dry conditions, with a mix of cloud and sunny spells.

Temperatures will cool down however, as a cold front crosses Ireland from the north later on Thursday.

Thursday began with summer-like conditions as the above scenes from Clare, Kerry, Galway, Cork and Dublin illustrated.

The day started with cloudier conditions further north as a cold front edged south, introducing much cooler temperatures in the range of 12-16c.

Scattered showers, some heavy or possibly thundery, will occur across southern counties on Thursday evening.