Met Éireann upgrades weather warnings

Met Éireann has issued a series of weather warnings with strong winds forecast to hit the country this afternoon, particularly affecting the west and north-west.

An 'orange'-level weather alert previously issued for counties Donegal, Galway, Leitrim, Mayo and Sligo has been upgraded to 'red' as forecasters predicted gusts of up to 150 kilometres per hour in places.