The western counties of Galway, Mayo, Sligo and Donegal took the worst battering from the weekend's storm, leaving thousands of homes without electricity and many roads impassable.
Snow fell throughout the northwest early yesterday morning and conditions were expected to deteriorate through the night as temperatures fell. Snowfalls late last night left roads in a treacherous condition. The ESB said the storm was the worst to hit the region since Hurricane Debbie in 1961.
Saturday's storm claimed one life in the West. Mr Michael Joyce (26), from Ballindine, Claremorris, Co Mayo, was killed when a tree struck his car in the Maam Valley in Connemara. His girlfriend escaped serious injury. Mr Joyce, an international showjumper, was home from England to spend Christmas with his family.
A woman was injured when a tree struck her car in Donegal. She was in a stable condition in hospital last night. At the height of Saturday night's storm, some 150,000 homes in the country were without electricity. By last night 60,000 households had still not been reconnected. i in Mayo said that at one point on Saturday night practically every road in the county was blocked by fallen trees and electricity poles. Roofs and slates falling from farm buildings proved particularly dangerous.
"There were sheets of iron flying around like newspapers," a garda in Castlebar said.
Dozens of fallen trees in Louth and Meath blocked roads for a large part of Saturday. The Dundalk roads to Carrickmacross, Castleblayney and Ardee were closed until 10 p.m. on Saturday while the Navan to Kells road was partly closed during Saturday. Gardai, council workers and local people with JCB's helped to clear the fallen trees. Meanwhile ESB crews were working flat out to restore power to homes in Drogheda, Julianstown, Gormanstown and Monasterboice. In the seaside village of Enniscrone, Co Sligo, some mobile homes were flattened. Cars parked in Ballina, Co Mayo, were badly damaged by falling debris as winds of more than 100 m.p.h. were recorded. A hotel in Ballyshannon, Co Donegal, had part of its roof blown off, as did a timber yard in the quays area of Sligo town.
In the north Galway village of Dunmore, a roof measuring 40 ft by 60 ft was blown off the premises of the Stira Attic Folding Stairs Company and tossed 150 yds, cutting power lines in its path.
All flights to and from Galway and Sligo airports were cancelled and train services in counties Mayo and Sligo were interrupted.
The heaviest snowfall for more than 10 years made road conditions in Sligo and north Leitrim extremely hazardous last night.
The snow was up to four inches deep, with drifts more than a foot deep on the Benbulben, Gleniffe and Glencar mountains in north Sligo.