The health service is urging people to consider all of their options for care before presenting to a hospital emergency department this weekend.
It says patients will be treated in the order of most urgent to least, and it's concerned about wait times, especially for older people.
However the HSE has encouraged people in emergency situations not to hesitate when calling for help.
It comes as the INMO has raised their concerns about overcrowding ahead of the long weekend as 63 patients are already on trolleys at Cork University Hospital
Chief Clinical Officer, Colm Henry, says anyone who is suffering from a more minor issue can find care in a more appropriate setting
"And that of course includes GP's, GP's out of hours, local injury units - we have 13 across the State that can deal with broken bones, sprains, strains, minor facial injuries, minor burns and wounds, and other problems. So we'd ask people to consider that given how busy our emergency departments are to confine visits there for truly urgent or emergency care and to consider all the other types of care they can get and where they can get it"
