'Costa del Kildare' today as temperatures reach 17 degrees

Kildare basked in temperatures touching 17 degrees today - as the country enjoyed a warm spell.

The sunshine and clear blue skies are unusual for March which has an average temperature of only 12 degrees.

Today's conditions are more like July or August.

And with sunrise just after 6am, we're expected to enjoy an incredible 12 hours of uninterrupted sunshine all day.

The calm conditions are perfect for paramotors (powered paragliders) were even spotted swooping in the skies above the Curragh Plains.

The wing-shaped parachute has a propeller-powered chair and harness.

Temperatures dropping 

Unfortunately today is the last day of the unseasonable hot spell as temperatures will start dropping from tomorrow.

Friday will see start bright but will become cloudy later with top temperatures only reaching 12 to 14 degrees.

Saturday will see more cooler conditions with night-time frost.

Sunday will see some bright spells but we'll see average levels of  8 to 12 degrees.