Man killed by falling tree as Ireland is lashed by Storm Eunice

On Friday evening, 44,000 homes, farms and businesses remained without power after the storm felled trees, blocked roads and caused damage and disruption across swathes of the Republic of Ireland.

Irish police confirmed that a man in his 60s died in Co Wexford after being struck by a falling tree.

The man, an employee of Wexford County Council, had been attending the scene of a fallen tree in the north Wexford area.

A spokesperson for the council expressed “deep regret and sadness” at the news.

He said: “The employee’s family, An Garda Siochana and the Health and Safety Authority have been informed.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the employee’s family, work colleagues and friends at this very difficult time.”

A post-mortem examination is expected to take place at Waterford University Hospital.

Tributes were paid to the man on Friday afternoon.

Housing Minister Darragh O’Brien tweeted: “I want to extend my deepest sympathies to their family, friends and colleagues at this horrifically sad time.”

HSE chief Paul Reid also took to Twitter: “We owe a huge debt to workers who put themselves at risk at these times.”

While the worst of the storm had subsided by the afternoon, most of the island remained in the grip of wet, blustery conditions on Friday evening.

Red and orange storm warnings for parts of the Republic of Ireland lapsed earlier on Friday, and a yellow wind and rain warning covering the entirety of the country lifted at 6pm.

Ireland’s National Emergency Co-ordination Group met during the day to discuss the impact of the storm and advised that people continue to stay away from all coastal areas and to take extra precautions while travelling.

A snow and ice warning for Ireland remains in place until 10am on Saturday.

ESB has said that it is working to restore power to homes and businesses, with the number of people without power down from a high of 80,000 to around 44,000 by Friday evening.

ESB said it hoped that many customers would see power restored by the end of the day.

However, it warned that some customers in south Kerry and west Cork may be without electricity overnight.

The south of the country bore the brunt of the major storm, as high winds of more than 100km per hour wreaked havoc on homes, buildings and businesses.

Met Eireann said gusts of more than 130kph had been recorded in Cork, while another weather station in the county recorded wind speeds of 106kph.

In Dublin and Cork airports, a significant number of flights were cancelled.

Forty-three flights were cancelled on Friday at Dublin Airport, with further delays and possible cancellations expected later as Storm Eunice hits UK airports.

In Cork, four inbound and four outbound flights were cancelled, with delays also anticipated later.

“We are advising all passengers to check the status of their flights in advance of travel to the airports today with their airlines,” a Dublin Airport spokesperson said.

Numerous fallen trees also blocked roads across the south of the island, with local council staff working to clear blockages and debris.

Parts of the north-west also experienced significant disruption, as heavy snow fell in some areas.

Difficult driving conditions were reported on parts of the Glenshane Pass in Co Londonderry due to snow.

The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) confirmed officers attended the scene of several crashes on the stretch of road on Friday.

A PSNI spokesperson said no-one required hospital treatment.

“The Glenshane Road remains open and is passable with care at present,” they added.

Schools and colleges across the Republic of Ireland were closed on Friday, following advice from the Department of Education.

In total, schools in nine counties were closed due to the dangerous conditions.

On Friday evening, officials and Irish police continued to urge the public to heed warnings for their local areas and to stay safe, even as the most serious warnings from Met Eireann were lifted.

Bus Eireann confirmed that following the lifting of the red warning, services in most parts of the country returned to normal.

Irish Rail said services on all routes were operating as normal on Friday evening, with reduced speed in some locations.

Ireland’s Health Service Executive reported little or no disruption to services on Friday.

In Northern Ireland, a yellow wind and snow warning lifted at 6pm on Friday.

Meanwhile, a yellow rain warning has been issued for Donegal, Leitrim, Mayo and Sligo for 24 hours from 4pm on Saturday.

It comes with a warning from Met Eireann of the potential for localised flooding in the north-west.

A yellow wind warning has also been issued for most of the south and west of the island too, with Met Eireann advising that the warning will remain in place from 9am on Sunday until 9am on Monday.