SOME PEOPLE LEAVE it late to make those last-minute Christmas arrangements so if it’s shopping you need to do, or places you’ve got to travel to, there’s not a lot of time left before the big day on Monday.

Irish Rail services are severely curtailed for a number of routes, while most other public transport will cease operating by 9pm tomorrow evening.

The shops, meanwhile, will likely be packed right up until most of them close tomorrow evening.

Need to make those last minutes moves? Here’s what you need to know.

Shopping

Dublin city will be more or less shut down by 6pm tomorrow evening. The shops on Grafton and Henry Streets will be closed, as will the Jervis Shopping Centre, the Stephen’s Green Shopping Centre and the Ilac Centre.

Shopping centres further afield in the capital will all be shut down by 6pm, so do make sure you get there early if you have those last-minute bits to buy.

Further afield, the closing times for main shopping areas in Cork, Limerick, Galway and Waterford range between 5pm and 6pm tomorrow.

Retailers have said that Christmas week has seen lower trade than anticipated, but added that it expects Christmas Eve to be an extremely busy trading day this year.

Public Transport

There are changes and cancellations on a number of Irish Rail services today, which you view in full here.

No rail services will then run until 27 December.

Bus Éireann is laying on some extra services tomorrow, but all city and commuter/rural services nationwide will operate up until approximately 9pm.

For Dublin Bus, Christmas Eve will operate a Sunday service with additional departures, but the last buses will depart at approximately 9pm tomorrow evening.

For those travelling via Luas, services will end at 8pm.

On the roads

AA Roadwatch has said that motorists should be prepared for busy traffic in and around shopping centres around the country tomorrow, with the worst delays in commuter towns.

It also said that people should make sure their vehicles are in good condition, especially if they’re setting out on a long journey.

Last year, its rescue services attended 248 breakdowns on Christmas Eve and 294 on Christmas Eve in 2015.

With many service stations closed for Christmas Day, it also advised motorists to make sure they’re all fueled up beforehand.

It also predicted heavy traffic on the following routes, so bear these in mind if you need to use them tomorrow.

• M50 southbound from J7 Lucan to J17 M11

• M7 Dublin/ Limerick Rd especially between J6 Castlewarden and J10 Naas South

• N40 South Ring Rd in Cork City; particularly between J6 Kinsale Rd and the Dunkettle Interchange

• N11 Dublin/ Wexford Rd from J5 Bray North to Kilmacanogue

• N4/ M4 Dublin/ Sligo Rd from Chapelizod Bypass to J7 Maynooth and also further west through Carrick on Shannon

• N21 Limerick/ Tralee Rd past Patrickswell to Adare and then again to go through Newcastle West and Abbeyfeale

• N18 Limerick/ Galway Rd through Gort and again further north from Clarinbridge to Oranmore

• N20 Cork/ Limerick Rd between Mallow and Buttevant

Read: ‘It’s this year’s Buzz Lightyear’: Why we flock to bookshops to buy gifts at Christmas time

Read: ‘I’ll be home soon’: Christmas messages from Irish soldiers serving abroad

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