It's now the week before Christmas 2021 and Ireland, like much of Europe and the world, is experiencing a sharp increase in Omicron variant Coronavirus cases.

For the moment, there are some public health measures such as 8PM closures for hospitality, those arriving into the country need to fill out a Passenger Locator Form and take antigen tests for five days after arrival; mask wearing has remained throughout in shops and public buildings.

With a late, and slow, start to the booster vaccination program, Ireland looks set to be badly hit with the more transmissible Omicron variant so we do expect there to be further measures introduced such as lockdowns or other restrictions on movement.

Because there are many uncertainties around Coronavirus and the new Omicron variant, I am again offering no-deposit-required bookings for January and February 2022.