Hot as a Furnace

Ireland sizzles on warmest day

- CIARA O'LOUGHLIN

NEWPORT Furnace in Mayo lived up to its name yesterday as it recorded the hottest temperature in the country at 21.3C.

Beaches and beer gardens were packed as Ireland was hotter than Spain.

It was the warmest day of the year so far and the west was best as temperatures soared above 21C.

Holiday hot spot Barcelona was just 18C - that's 3C less than Costa del Newport.

City centres were bustling as office workers enjoyed pints in sunny beer gardens while ice cream shops had queues out the door.

While the west saw highs of 21C, other parts of the country were still basking in the sunshine.