The Tanaiste has not ruled out the possibility of bars and restaurants being able to stay open beyond 8pm tonight - but noted that some things still need to be worked out to change current restrictions.
Leo Varadkar has increased hopes that the majority of Covid-19 restrictions will be lifted in the coming days - telling reporters that if there is no public health rationale for them, there will be no political rationale for them either.
Mr Varadkar was speaking on the way into a meeting of the three party leaders this afternoon, with the Cabinet set to meet fully from 3pm.
After that, the Taoiseach will address the nation at 6pm. You can follow live updates here.
While Mr Varadkar ruled out the idea of a 'Freedom Day', he did say there were not too many issues following the advice from the National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET).
He said: "I think it's fair to say that the advice from NPHET arrived last evening and the issues now are around timing and around the additional financial supports for businesses.
"We've always said that there won't be a cliff edge for businesses where those supports are cut off.
"They're the kind of things we have to make decisions on today - the exact timing of when restrictions can be eased and also the supports being phased out.
"The recommendation from NPHET is a phased basis, we'll be discussing the details around different phases today.
"Some things can be done quickly but other restrictions require legislation to be rescinded. We have to work out all those details."
When asked about the possibility of pubs reopening their doors from Friday evening, as their owners are asking for, Mr Varadkar said: "I'm not going to get into any of that today.
"The Taoiseach will make an announcement later on.
"I think across Government if there's a belief that there's no public health rationale for restrictions then there is no political rationale either."
It's understood the Government would have to rescind current regulations in place to allow pubs return to normal trading hours.
However, sources are not ruling out the possibility of this happening on Friday.
The Fine Gael leader did note that he "hadn't even thought" about going to a nightclub.
He also issued a special message to the Irish public, thanking them for their efforts.
He said: "I want to say thanks to the Irish people, it's been a long two years and while it's not over yet we are in a better place. That is down to a world-beating vaccine programme, the Irish people agreeing to be vaccinated and also the Irish business owners and workers."
Acknowledging that Ireland "needed more" of the likes of ICU beds, nurses, doctors and monitoring systems, Mr Varadkar also said that Irish people may have to make decisions themselves in the future about potential viruses.
He said: "We will focus on permanent changes on the way we act as individuals. We might all decide to wear masks in the future, we might opt to work from home, especially if we're showing symptoms.
"Something we're going to have to focus on especially is air quality, because we know that good air quality reduces transmissions of all viruses."
