Coastal areas have been battered by waves, winds of up to 100kph, flooding and storm surges in the wake of Storm Ashley.
Some areas of the country are still without power this morning, after power outages affected up to 53,000 people at the peak of the impact on Sunday. Counties Mayo, Galway, Cork, Clare, Sligo, Dublin and Kerry were the worst hit.
It follows the release of a weather warning from Met Éireann on Saturday, with the weather service predicting the storm would increase the risk of localised flooding in urban areas and small river catchments. It said coastal flooding, large coastal waves, dangerous conditions at sea, localised flooding, fallen trees, and flying debris could be expected. In addition, the weather service warned of very difficult travelling conditions, damage to power lines, power outages, and damage to already weakened structures.
It urged people to “Stay Back, Stay High, Stay Dry” during the storm. ESB Networks said on Monday morning that some 16,000 premises were still without power, with work ongoing to restore services to those affected, with the majority of outages located in Galway, Kerry and Mayo. Footage online showed Salthill promenade swamped at high tide at around 8pm, however there was no major property damage.
In county Mayo, videos posed online showed severe winds and heavy rainfall, with a scene in Belmullet likened to “someone outside with a power washer.”
Meanwhile, there were 60 flight cancellations in or out of Dublin Airport on Sunday, with disruptions also reported at Cork and Shannon Airports.
Weather conditions are forecast to be much more favourable on Monday, which should allow for a normal day of operations today, a spokesperson for Dublin Airport said.