Leanna Byrne
BBC News NI

Rhiannon Levey is visiting Dublin for the weekend and saw the Pope near Dublin Castle while with a friend - they were both killing time before catching a flight.

It was just a coincidence that they were about to see the Pope, said Rhiannon. She was raised a Catholic, but says she only goes to church at Christmas or other traditional occasions.

Christina McSorley
BBC News NI

Laura Doyle lost her sight as a baby, but it returned and she credits her faith for getting her sight back.

She's volunteering at the Festival of Families and tomorrow's papal mass in Phoenix Park.

Ms Doyle has a strong faith and travels to Lourdes every year with her 84-year-old mother.

"It is such an honour to volunteer and help people," she says. "You meet so many beautiful people. It is so emotional being here, it is out of this world - you can't describe it."

The crowd at Croke Park have been hearing Nathan Carter sing REM's song Everybody Hurts. They've yet to hear Daniel O'Donnell sing and there are Irish dancers lined up.

And, of course, the pontiff himself will shortly make a speech.

The Pope arrives at the stadium and is being driven to the stage while waving and smiling.

We're towards the tail end of Pope Francis' first day in Ireland.

The Pope is due in Croke Park for the Festival of Families at about 7.30pm but let's have a quick recap of what's been a very busy day for the pontiff.

Image source, Reuters

After landing at Dublin Airport shortly after 10,30am, the Pope met President Michael D Higgins and then was greeted by Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar at Dublin Castle.

Both men addressed the crowd there, with Pope Francis saying he was ashamed of the Church's failure to adequately address the "repellent crimes" of sex abuse by the clergy.

Image source, PA

Afterwards, he addressed a crowd of newly-married and engaged couples at St Mary's Pro Cathedral before touring Dublin in the Popemobile and visiting a homeless centre run by Capuchin monks.

Meanwhile, the Vatican confirmed the Pope later met survivors of clerical, religious and institutional abuse and spoke to them for 90 minutes.

The Pope met eight Irish survivors of clerical, religious and institutional abuse for 90 minutes earlier, the Vatican confirms.

Image source, EPA

The Vatican said the Pope met Marie Collins, Rev Patrick McCafferty, Rev Joe McDonald, Independent Dublin City Councillor Damien O'Farrell, Paul Jude Redmond, Clodagh Malone and Bernadette Fahy.

It said one survivor, a victim of Fr Tony Walsh, preferred to remain anonymous.

Croke Park has played host to some of the world's biggest bands and artists - and tonight it's the turn of the head of the Catholic Church.

The Pope is not there yet, but the concert event at Croke Park to mark the Festival of Families has begun. An estimated 82,500 people are among the audience in the stadium. The event will hear five testimonies from families in Ireland, Canada, Iraq and Africa.

Eagle-eyed car lovers among you may have spotted the unusual licence plate 'SCV1' sported by the Skoda car used by the Pope to get around Dublin today.

According to this article published by Bustle, external, SCV is an acronym both in Latin - for Status Civitatis Vaticanae - and in Italian, as it means Stato della Città del Vaticano. The translation for both is State of the City of Vatican.

The popemobiles are then given a number, with SCV1 designating the primary vehicle.

It's a case of of a global audience for the Pope, who is expected at Croke Park in Dublin within the next hour - he's due to address the Festival of Families.

Newly engaged and blessed by the Pope? Not a bad start to life together.

Seana Linton and her sister, Megan, travelled from Glasgow to see Pope Francis in Dublin. Asked who they preferred between Pope Francis and Pope Benedict, they both said Francis was their favourite. “He seems like a very nice man,” said Seana.

An audience of more than 82,000 people, comprising families from 116 countries, will be entertained by a large cast of people as they await the arrival of Pope Francis for the World Meeting of Families event this evening in Croke Park in Dublin.

Image source, Getty Images

World renowned tenor Andrea Bocelli will take centre stage in the stadium and will be joined by Nathan Carter, Daniel O’Donnell, Celine Byrne, Seán Keane, Eimear Quinn, Cuthbert Tura Arutura, the Palestrina Choir and the Choir of Ages.

There's praise for Pope Francis among those gathered to see him in Dublin. "We're here today because we think he's a great man. He's a very humble man," said one woman.

Martin Bashir
BBC religious affairs correspondent

If Pope Francis was in any doubt about the depth and impact of clerical abuse in Ireland, then Prime Minister Leo Varadkar’s speech at Dublin Castle provided him with a striking summary.

Indeed, it’s hard to remember another occasion when a political leader addressed a Pope in this way.

“Wounds are still open,” he said, “and there is much to be done to bring about justice and truth and healing for the victims and survivors.”

Image source, AFP

In response, the Pope expressed words of repentance and remorse – as he has done on multiple occasions in the past - but did not offer any specific remedies. And that remains the challenge.

Pope Francis, who was elected five years ago, and promised to address the scandal of clerical abuse, has still not been able to convince survivors that the church is more concerned about the welfare of children than it is about itself.

And while words may be of some comfort, only radical actions are likely to reverse the decline of the church in Ireland.

Leanna Byrne
BBC News NI

Kathy and Laurence Perkins came all the way to Dublin from South Africa - but getting to see the Pope was just a happy coincidence.

They made the trip so Laurence could complete a job interview.

The Anglican couple said they were happy to hit the streets and give Pope Francis a big welcome.

Thousands line the streets of Dublin as Pope Francis does a quick tour on his Popemobile.