It is shaping up to be a mild and dry weekend, although with a wet start.

Friday will be mainly dry with spells of hazy sunshine.

It will gradually turn cloudy over the western half of the country through the afternoon and evening with rain moving into western counties tonight, Met Éireann says.

Highest temperatures will range from 14 to 17 degrees with some strong southerly winds near Atlantic coasts.

Friday night is expected to be quite wet as a band of rain moves eastward across the country, turning heavy in places.

The rain will be mostly confined to the eastern half of the country by morning, with clearer skies and a few showers. Lowest temperatures will drop to 8 to 12 degrees overnight.

Rain in the east will gradually clear on Saturday morning leaving a mostly dry day with sunny spells and a few showers. There is a chance the rain will linger for longer in the northeast, according to Met Éireann.

Temperatures will reach 13 to 17 degrees during the day, dropping to 6 to 9 degrees at night.

Sunday is expected to be another largely dry day with sunny spells and well scattered light showers.

Highest temperatures will range from 13 to 16 degrees.

Sunday night will be mainly dry with some scattered light showers. Patches of mist and fog are likely to form overnight with temperatures dropping to 4 to 8 degrees.

The mist and fog are expected to clear on Monday morning, leaving a mix of cloud, sunny spells and scattered showers. Temperatures will reach 13 to 17 degrees.