Around 120,000 still without power in aftermath of Storm Darragh

That warning has since expired, but a status yellow wind warning for the whole country remains in place until 3pm.

Met Éireann is warning of strong and gusty south to southwest winds which may cause fallen trees, loose debris, difficult travelling conditions, and some wave overtopping.

ESB Networks crews began mobilising from early morning assessing the damage, making the network safe, and restoring electricity "where safe to do so."

However, the company said "further outages can be expected from potentially damaging gusts."

In a statement, they said: "As at 8:45pm, approximately 120,000 homes, farms and businesses remain without power following extremely strong and gusty winds associated with Storm Darragh which have caused widespread and extensive damage to the electricity network across the country. 

"ESB Networks teams have restored power to 275,000 customers over the course of the day.

Storm Darragh is similar in impact to Storm Ophelia in 2017, which left 385,000 customers without power at the peak but with more widespread impact across the country.

"All ESB Networks crews and partner contractors will continue working into tonight to safely restore power to as many customers as possible in challenging conditions, before mobilising again at first light tomorrow morning."

They warned that "significant numbers may be without supply for a number of days."

On top of that, the severity and significant scale of the damage some customers could be without power for approximately a week.

Assessment of the extent of damage is continuing, they added.

The National Directorate for Fire & Emergency Management (NDFEM), Met Éireann and other stakeholders met this morning to discuss the impact of Storm Darragh.

Impacts from last night's winds include disruption to transport services including ferries, bus and rail, as well as some delays and flight cancellations at airports across the country.

In a statement, NDFEM national director, Keith Leonard, is urging the public to continue to take care and exercise caution in the aftermath of the storm.

 “Thankfully, Storm Darragh has passed and the dangers posed by very strong winds has passed. 

"However, motorists should take extra care as there are fallen trees reported all across the country with many roads closed," he said.

Ideally, I would advise drivers not to travel today unless necessary and to check your route in advance if you have to head out.

“With a yellow wind warning still in place, I would also urge the public to continue to stay away from coastal areas during this period and to heed the appeal from the Irish Coast Guard for people to ‘Stay Back, Stay High, Stay Dry’.”

Uisce Éireann has also asked customers to conserve water in the areas which have been impacted by power outages.

In a statement, they said that there was "siignificant impact to our plants and networks across the county most notably Kerry, East Limerick, Clare, Tipperary, Waterford, Donegal, Leitrim, Longford, Mayo, and County Galway including the west of the city. 

"Current estimates indicate that 40 of our 698 water treatment plants are currently not in production due to weather related issues with the potential to impact up to 153,000 customers should treated water reservoirs run dry. A further 20 plants are classified at risk but not yet impacting customers.

Margaret Attridge, Head of Water Operations with Uisce Éireann, said “ Uisce Éireann crews have been on the ground trying to restore supply as soon as it was safe to do so. We are also working closely with the ESB to return power to key water treatment plants and wastewater assets. 

"We would like to thank the public for their support and patience and ask they continue to conserve water where possible to allow reservoirs and networks to refill as quickly as possible. There are some simple steps people can take to conserve their water, such as avoiding the use of water-intensive appliances during this time."

Elsewhere, Cork County Council received more than 100 reports of fallen trees and debris, with north and east Cork particularly impacted.

Its crews were out throughout the night, and additional crews were mobilised this morning.

Contractors and crews are currently on the ground clearing roads and "will continue throughout the day."

According to a spokesperson, most roads are passable now with care, however, some road closures remain in place where trees have fallen on overhead cables.

The council is working with utility companies to ensure these roads can be reopened as soon as possible.

It has urged road users to "pay particular attention to the risk posed by fallen trees and flying debris."

A status orange wind warning for Munster, Leinster, Connacht as well as counties Cavan, Donegal, and Monaghan expired at 10am on Saturday morning.

And a status yellow rain warning for Connacht, Clare, Donegal, Cavan, Monaghan, Longford, Louth, Meath and Westmeath also ended at 10am.