Coastal areas braced as winds set to lash west

Met Éireann issued a national weather alert last night, warning of very strong winds, driving rain and the possibility of floods.

Heavy wind and rain is forecast across the country today while residents in counties Clare, Cork, Galway and Dublin are preparing flood defences in anticipation of high tides.

A combination of high seas and unusually high tides are expected to combine to put areas along the Atlantic coast under threat of flooding.