Weather claims U21 and Cup fixtures

The Republic of Ireland’s U21 friendly against Denmark has been postponed today, due to exceptional weather conditions. The match was scheduled for a 2.30pm kick off in Dalymount Park this afternoon.

Other casualties of the weather include the two FAI Harp Lager Cup third round ties. Minnows Portmarnock were due to take on Dundalk this evening, in what would have been the third attempt at the fixture. The last tie, scheduled for February 7th, was appealed by Portmarnock due to the awkward kick-off time.

Tonight’s other tie, a third round replay between St. Patrick's Athletic and Longford Town has also been postponed. The winners of both ties were originally scheduled to meet this Sunday. It has not yet been announced when the matches are to be played.

Referee inspections have however cleared tonight's Eircom League matches at Buckley Park, where Kilkenny City play host to Finn Harps and at Gortakeegan, where Monaghan United take on Sligo Rovers.

The Senior Republic of Ireland fixture against Denmark has also been put in doubt as FAI and IRFU await developments in the weather before making any announcement.

The FAI are in touch with the IRFU, the owners of Lansdowne Road, who will closely monitor the situation with Six Nations internationals coming up next month.

FAI spokesman Brendan McKenna said: "The layer of snow will be left on the pitch in the hope that it will act as a protective cover for the pitch but the obvious fear is an overnight freeze. "The situation will be re-assessed tomorrow morning."