Thousands left without power as storms hit nation

Thousands have been left without power, roads have been ripped up and isolated homes have been cut off from the mainland after storms ravaged the country.

As severe winds reached 120km/h in some parts, 5,000 houses lost electricity and around 11,000 faults were reported to Eircom.

Local authorities spent the day calculating how much essential clean-up operations will cost, while the worst-hit areas in the west pledged to rebuild.