A number of ferry crossings on the Irish Sea have been cancelled today and some flights have been diverted after high winds and heavy rain were forecast.
Several flights due to land at Dublin airport were diverted to Belfast and Shannon due to poor weather conditions.
They included flights from Vienna, Berlin, Glasgow and Barcelona diverted to Belfast, and flights from Warsaw, Rome, Amsterdam, Munich and London diverted to Shannon. One American Airlines flight was diverted to London Heathrow. In total, 14 inbound and five ourbound flights were affected.
A spokeswoman for Dublin Airport said this evening that winds had eased and that operations were now back to normal on the main runway. Some of the diverted flights will now return to Dublin.
Irish Ferries' Swift fast craft sailings from Dublin to Holyhead and back were cancelled, but the company said passengers would be accommodated on the cruise service.
Fastnet and Stena Line sailings were operating as normal. P&O sailings on the Dublin to Liverpool route were also operating as scheduled.
A number of cars sustained damage in the car park of Leinster House when a section of the roof of the adjacent Natural History Museum blew off. Large pieces of roof lead were visible on the ground. The boot of one car was damaged and some vehicles had their wing mirrors knocked off.
A spokesman for the Houses of the Oireachtas said no one was injured. Engineers from the Office of Public Works were due on site to assess the damage.
Met Éireann said today's strong winds would gust at up to 120km/h, and were strongest across the midlands and the south of the country.
Heavy and thundery downpours over the north and northwest were expected to lead to spot flooding, with the rain possibly turning to sleet and a slight risk of some snow on hilltops.
The service said outbreaks of rain elsewhere would be heavy. Top temperatures of 9 to 13 degrees will fall to between 4 and 8 degrees.
The Coast Guard issued a small craft warning and advised the public to stay off exposed coasts, cliffs, piers, harbour walls, beaches, promenades or any other coastal areas during the inclement weather. It said huge waves could be whipped up by high seas.
AA Roadwatch has urged motorists to excercise caution when driving in high winds, and to pay particular attention to cyclists, pedestrians and motorcyclists.
Additional reporting: PA