IAA: Airports open till at 7pm tomorrow

Dublin, Cork and Waterford Airports are to remain open until at least 7pm tomorrow evening, according to the latest update from the Irish Aviation Authority.

There has been disruption today at Shannon, Knock, Donegal, Sligo, Galway and Kerry - the IAA says they will open at 6am and also remain open until 7pm tomorrow night.

Another update will be issued at 9.30am tomorrow morning.

A large cloud of high ash concentration has been growing off the west coast, causing difficulties for some trans-Atlantic services and southern European flights.

Passengers planning on travelling are being advised to check their airline's website before going to the airport.

Ryanair says it's putting on extra flights for Irish and UK passengers today and tomorrow to and from Fuerteventura, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote and Tenerife.

Aer Lingus meanwhile says it has sent more than half a million text messages to passengers notifying them of cancelled flights.