The holiday travel rush begins with many emigrants arriving home by sea and air to spend Christmas at home.
The annual return of emigrants at Christmas began in earnest today. Extra flights into Dublin Airport have been scheduled to facilitate the twenty thousand passengers who will arrive here over the next couple of days.
For many arriving home today for the Christmas holiday there was a warm welcome from their families and friends.
The ferry services from Britain are equally busy, and many who arrived at Dún Laoghaire this morning have brought their cars with them.
Additional trains will transport approximately one hundred and ten thousand people from Dublin to cities and towns on the rail network. The number of regional buses is also being increased to cope with seasonal passengers.
There will be no train services on Christmas Day or Saint Stephen's Day, but a limited number of buses will be available.
An RTÉ News report broadcast on 23 December 1971. The reporter is Barry Linnane.
