Rain stays at bay to let shoppers play from early hours

Dry weather helped pave the way for a heavy footfall on our main shopping streets yesterday.

About 1,000 people rushed through the doors of Brown Thomas on Grafton St, Dublin, when the shop opened at 9am yesterday, with some having queued since 7.30am to snap up bargains.

Brown Thomas stores in Cork and Galway saw similar crowds, and while there is usually a dash for the designer bags, yesterday saw a rush for menswear.