The clocks will go forward by one hour overnight marking the official start of 'summer time' in Ireland.

At 1am, clocks will go forward an hour to 2am. Most smartphones, tablets and computers will update automatically.

The time shift marks the move from Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) to Irish Summer Time (IST).

Early risers will notice darker mornings immediately after the change, while evenings will be lighter as the sun sets later.

The practice of changing the clocks was first introduced in 1916 to save energy costs during World War I.

Under EU law, all 27 member states observe the change with clocks going forward on the last Sunday in March and going back on the last Sunday in October.

In 2019, MEPs voted to scrap the practice of adjusting clocks in the EU.

The vote was intended to form the basis of discussions among EU countries to produce a final law, however, no such legislative changes have taken place yet.

The seasonal time shift has also been the subject of debate in the United States, with US President Donald Trump posting on social media in December that he wanted to scrap daylight saving time.

For now, Hawaii and most of Arizona have not followed the practice of adjusting clocks since World War II.

In 2011, Russia decided to switch to permanent summer time in an attempt to improve citizens' wellbeing but shifted to permanent winter time in 2014 after public complaints.

In the past decade, Azerbaijan, Iran, Syria, Turkey and Uruguay have also done away with Daylight Saving Time, according to the Pew Research Center.

Egypt eliminated the clock change in 2014 before reintroducing it nine years later to save energy.

The majority of countries outside Europe and North America do not adjust their clocks.

Read more: Everything you need to know about the clocks changing in 2025

Additional reporting PA, AFP