A large number of schools are to remain closed for the rest of week due to heavy snow and icy conditions across many areas of the country.
The vast majority were due to reopen tomorrow after the Christmas holidays but many have decided to remain closed due to the severity of the conditions.
Primary and secondary schools in Cos Donegal, Sligo, Leitrim and Kerry were among the worst affected earlier today.
The worsening conditions this evening are understood to have forced the closure of many more schools across the country.
The Irish National Teachers' Organisation (INTO) predicted that most primary schools would remain closed for the rest of the week.
The union said decisions about opening or closing schools are taken on health and safety grounds.
A spokesman said where safety in school or travelling to and from school was compromised then schools properly decided to close.
"The severity of the weather conditions is different in different parts of the country," said the spokesperson. "Any uncertainty about schools opening was due to schools waiting to see if there was any possibility of opening safely," he said.
The Department of Education said earlier it was up to boards of management to decide whether local conditions warranted the closure of a school.
“In making these decisions, schools should consider such issues as access and safety,” a spokesman said. He said that where days were lost due to bad weather, boards should make all reasonable efforts to make them up later in the year.
Bus Éireann said its school bus drivers would liaise with local management in deciding if the roads were safe enough to operate.
A list of confirmed school closures can be found here