As well as cancelling its Pembroke sailings on Friday, Irish Ferries has also called off its Dublin Swift fast ferry services from Holyhead, north Wales, to Dublin - the fast ferries can be stranded in bad weather.

BBC: Weather causes chaos for rugby fans

The Irish Open is being staged at Carton House near Dublin, which Montgomerie admits "can be scary in some weather conditions".

BBC: SPORT | Golf | Monty braced for course reaction

But for five weeks in May and June on 22 different grounds (including Dublin and Amsterdam), many them already sold out, the emphasis will be on the weather, the state of the wickets, and whether England can qualify for the final six in the second stage of the cup.

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