625,000 remain without power as ESB warns full restoration may take over a week
Workers collect debris from the destroyed ice rink in Blanchardstown Centre, Dublin. Picture: Colin Keegan, Collins Dublin
Storm Éowyn has made landfall in Ireland, bringing widespread chaos with it. The storm has unleashed record-breaking winds, heavy rainfall, and significant disruption.
- 625,000 homes and businesses remain without power with number set to rise; 240,000 without power in the North;
- Full restoration for homes in the worst-affected areas may take over a week;
- Wind records broken: Gusts of 183km/h have been recorded at Mace Head, Co Galway;
- Two families in Co Kerry evacuated as Storm Éowyn caused severe damage to their homes;
- Thousands of homes remain without power in Co Cork, while councils work to clear blocked roads and fallen debris.
You can follow live updates via our rolling story below.
The number of people without water is likely to increase following the storm.
Uisce Éireann said 138,000 of their customers are still without water, and a further 750,000 may be at risk of losing it.
The impacts are being felt nationwide, with large areas without water across Kerry, Clare, Tipperary, Waterford, Galway, Donegal, Longford and Laois.
ESB has said that power supply has been restored to 143,000 customers, however a further 625,000 remain without supply.
The storm brought unprecedented, widespread and extensive damage to electricity infrastructure resulting in 768,000 customers losing supply earlier today.
"With Met Éireann Red and Orange wind warnings fully lifted, ESB Networks crews and partner contractors are now deployed where safe to do so, assessing damage at fault sites and restoring supply where possible. Power restoration will continue into the evening and commence once again at first light tomorrow morning, and we expect to make good progress restoring supplies over the weekend and into next week," said a spokesperson for ESB.
A young man, 20s, was killed by a falling tree in Donegal as he drove home from work on Friday morning in high winds, before the status red weather alert for his county took effect.
The deceased had left work with a colleague and they drove in convoy for safety due to the weather warning, which was status orange at the time. The colleague saw the tree strike the young man’s vehicle before another tree then hit his own, it is understood. He survived and rushed to help his colleague.
Iarnród Éireann services have started to resume, although certain routes will not operate.
Services to and from Galway, Westport and Belfast are not expected to resume until tomorrow.
Limerick to Ballybrophy, as well as Limerick Junction to Waterford will not reopen today.
In an update issued on social media, Irish Rail said Heuston to Cork is expected to operate.
4.05pm
A Status Orange Warning has been lifted in the following counties: Cavan, Donegal, Monaghan, Connacht, Longford, Louth, Meath and Westmeath.
A Status Yellow wind warning has been lifted for Carlow, Dublin, Kildare, Kilkenny, Laois, Offaly, Wexford, Wicklow and Munster.
Meanwhile in Donegal, a Status Yellow snow-ice warning is in place, as well as a wind warning.
Only Cork commuter services are operating, with no other train services in operation.
"Services Cork/Midleton and Cork/Cobh are operating. No other trains are operating on the rest of the Iarnród Éireann network - DART, Commuter and Intercity - until further notice," said Irish Rail on X.
Keith Leonard, head of the National Emergency Co-ordination Group, has praised the public for following the red warnings and staying indoors ahead of Storm Éowyn.
"I want to take the opportunity to thank everyone who responded so well to public safety messaging," he said.
"That was really important because it took the pressure off our emergency services at a really critical time and also enabled local authorities to get out and about to monitor and assess the damage."
Speaking on , Mr Leonard described the situation across the country as one of "very significant disruption" to many services, adding that all communities have been affected to some degree.
"Up along the western seaboard is badly affected and into the northwest and even the northeast there seems to be very significant structural damage and a lot of trees down."
Meanwhile, second officer with Cork City Fire Brigade, Victor Shine, says people need to be extra careful in the coming days following the storm.
"We have crews out clearing debris from the roads, dealing with collapsed walls, dangerous structures, the potential risk of fallen trees," Mr Shine said.
"It's the dangers that people don't immediately see following the storm. It still poses that that particular risk, so caution is always for the next number of days."
Cork City Council has successfully cleared more than half of the 20 roads blocked overnight by Storm Éowyn, with 12 roads now reopened.
Crews continue to work on the remaining blocked routes, aiming to restore access safely and efficiently.
Starting at 10am, Cork City Council teams focused on removing fallen trees and debris from affected roads.
The Council's Severe Weather Assessment Team remains active, monitoring the situation as recovery efforts continue.
A Status Yellow warning is currently in effect until 4pm this afternoon.
Just when we thought we'd seen the last of the weather warnings Met Éireann has issued a status yellow snow and ice warning for Donegal.
Icy stretches and snow showers are expected, leading to hazardous travelling conditions.
The warning is vaild from 9pm this evening until 9am on Saturday.
All status red warnings have now expired with the last remaining count, , now moving to status orange.
It joins , , , , , , and , while the has moved to status yellow until 4pm.
In , the status red warning has now lifted, transitioning to amber until 9pm and then yellow until midnight.
A yellow snow and ice warning will follow from 7pm this evening until 10am Saturday.
One in five flights from airports in Ireland and the UK was cancelled on Friday as Storm Eowyn caused disruption at several major airports.
Aviation analytics company Cirium said by 1pm some 1,124 flights scheduled to operate to, from or between the countries’ airports were axed.
That is equivalent to 20% of all flights, affecting around 150,000 passengers.
Dublin was the worst affected airport in terms of cancellations, with 120 departures and 110 arrivals.
That was followed by Edinburgh (85 departures, 80 arrivals), Heathrow (51 departures, 62 arrivals) and Glasgow (44 departures, 43 arrivals).
An interesting update from the UK Met Office in relation to the record-breaking gusts of 183km/h that were recorded at Mace Head in Co Galway.
It says satellite imagery suggests a dangerous weather phenomenon known as a sting jet developed over Ireland on Friday morning
A sting jet is a small area of very intense winds, which can be as strong as 160km/h or more, according to the weather service.
In a sting jet, the strongest winds usually last between three to four hours across an area as small as 30 miles, the forecaster said.
ESB Networks reports extensive and widespread damage to electricity infrastructure nationwide, leaving approximately 725,000 customers without power as of 12.30pm.
While the worst of Storm Éowyn has passed in most areas, Met Éireann wind warnings remain in place, and additional outages are still possible.
ESB crews and contractors are deployed where conditions are safe, working to assess the damage and begin restoring power. However, due to the scale of destruction, the ESB warns that full restoration in the worst-affected areas may take over a week.
Customers are urged to stay clear of fallen wires or damaged infrastructure and to report outages or hazards via the ESB Networks website.
Tánaiste and Minister for Defence Simon Harris has been briefed on the extensive damage caused by Storm Éowyn overnight.
Mr Harris spoke this morning with the Secretary General of the Department of Defence and the Chief of Staff of the Defence Forces.
He confirmed that Defence Forces personnel and Civil Defence volunteers are on standby to assist with recovery operations as soon as it is safe to do so.
"I want to thank the Defence Forces for the assistance they have provided overnight and their continued work as the recovery phase now begins. It is important to continue to heed the advice and stay safe," he said.
Dublin City Council’s Crisis Management Team convened this morning for the third time in recent days as Storm Éowyn continues to cause disruption.
As of 11am, Dublin Fire Brigade has handled 35 storm-related incidents, including fallen trees and cables, vehicles damaged by debris, and blocked roads. The Eastern Regional Communications Centre in Dublin has received over 120 emergency calls, 95 of which are storm-related, covering Dublin and other Leinster counties, as well as Cavan and Monaghan.
Structures across the city have been damaged, including a lamp post that fell onto a house in Ringsend. There have been 77 reports of fallen trees, 17 structural impacts, seven incidents of power cables down, and six blocked roads.
Firefighters urge the public to remain cautious during the Orange Warning.
Dublin City Council’s customer service team has taken 72 calls today. An assessment on reopening services will be made tomorrow morning.
Thousands of homes in Cork remain without power as ESB crews assess the widespread damage.
Nationally, over 715,000 homes and businesses lost electricity at the peak of the storm, temporarily causing technical difficulties on the ESB power check website, which is now back online.
Fallen trees and debris have left numerous roads across Cork dangerous or impassable.
Cork City Council reported that Burkes Hill, from Mayfield GAA to N8 Lower Glanmire Road, is closed due to a fallen Eir pole.
Crews are also clearing fallen trees at Glen Avenue, North Ring Road near Shannon Lawn, and Silver Heights.
Cork County Council is continuing its cleanup efforts but confirmed that the M8 Blackwater Viaduct in Fermoy has reopened to traffic.
In a statement, the council advised the public to avoid unnecessary travel unless absolutely essential.
Priority routes for council crews include the R586 Ballineen to Bandon Road, the R600 Kinsale to Ballinspittle Road, and the R612 Carrigaline to Crosshaven Road. These key roads are currently impassable due to fallen trees.
Crews are working to clear debris and reopen these routes as quickly as possible.
Flight operations at Cork Airport have resumed, with the first departures taking off after 10 a.m. as winds eased. However, delays are expected throughout the day.
According to Barry Holland, Cork Airport's communications manager, the first departures resumed just after 10am as winds eased.
Passengers are advised to check directly with their airlines for the latest flight updates.
At the height of Storm Éowyn, 15 flights in and out of Cork Airport were cancelled this morning.
With the Status Red warning now lifted, the schedule is gradually returning to normal.
According to Barry Holland, Cork Airport's communications manager, the first departures resumed just after 10am as winds eased.
"We had some of the first arrivals now that are due in," Mr Holland told .
"The flight from Seville is in the air, the flight from Poznan is in the air and Stansted and Manchester are also expected to come in.
"Now that the wind has abeited and the winds are easing that operations in terms of flights in and out are returning back to normal."
Brian Tapley, of ESB Networks, has said they expected the number of people without power to rise.
Speaking to Today with Claire Byrne, he said nearly half of customers connected to the Network could be impacted by the storm.
"The country is...still in Red alert, and some parts of the northwest have yet to kind of bear the full brunt of the storm," Mr Tapley said.
"So unfortunately, the figure will rise, and look it is unprecedented for us the number of customers without power, it is widespread, it is countrywide, and it is extensive damage to our network."
10.30am
The Connacht GAA Air Dome at the province's centre of excellence in Bekan has felt the full impact of Storm Éowyn.
A red weather warning had been in place overnight, with Connacht GAA's indoor venue devastated by the strong winds and rain brought about by the storm.
It is understood that the inflatable roof flew off the structure at around 4am on Friday morning, with Connacht GAA's John Prenty telling RTÉ that they intend to rebuild the venue.
"We have been unable to get out to the site to assess the damage as the winds are too high," the provincial secretary told the national broadcaster.
In Galway, most of Connemara is without electricity after the west coast took the initial brunt of Storm Éowyn.
Nearly every area of Co Galway has suffered damage.
Hundreds of trees have fallen with many roads blocked but the extent of the damage caused throughout Galway will not be assessed for another few hours as council crews can’t go out until the red warning lifts until 11am.
There have been no reports of people being injured but local authorities have stressed that the extent of the damage has not been assessed.
ESB Galway Area Manager Matthew Cunningham said that there are power outages throughout the entire county and it’s envisaged that it could be some days before it is restored.
Traffic lights are not working in Galway city and throughout the county with all agencies urging the public not to make journeys unless it is absolutely essential.
The mobile phone network has also been impacted, while local radio station Galway Bay FM is operating only on its website and app after the main mast at their headquarters on Sandy Road in the city fell.
Coastal flooding has been reported throughout south Connemara and in Salthill.
Meanwhile, much of Killarney and surrounding areas, including Killorglin and Milltown, are without power this morning after high winds hit earlier than expected.
ESB Networks estimates it will be tonight before power is restored, and not all of the 40,000 affected customers will have electricity back.
Teams from ESB Networks and Kerry County Council will begin assessing damage once the Red Alert ends later this morning.
Roads are blocked across the county by fallen trees, poles, cables, and debris, with live wires posing a serious danger.
Paul Neary, senior engineer with Kerry County Council, warned that significant work is needed to reopen the county. Several boundary walls collapsed, and at least two houses had to be evacuated, one in Dingle and one in Ballybunion.
Roads are impassable in several areas, including Muckross near Killarney, and from Valentia to Ardfert, while Beaufort and Princes Street in Tralee are also blocked.
Dublin Fire Brigade has attended over 25 storm-related calls since early this morning, dealing with incidents such as vehicles damaged by fallen trees and uprooted underground cables.
Among the reported incidents, a lamp post fell onto a house in Ringsend, and scaffolding collapsed onto a road in Harold’s Cross, blocking traffic.
The Blanchardstown ice rink has also been severely damaged.
As of 7am, the brigade received 14 calls, mostly involving fallen trees and cables.
Flights have begun to depart from Dublin Airport as winds from the storm start to ease. More than 200 flights were cancelled from the airport.
The first departure of the morning was a Ryanair flight to Birmingham at 09.27, followed by a Ryanair flight to Faro shortly after.
The first flight scheduled to arrive this morning is due to land shortly after 11am.
A statement on social media from Dublin Airport read: "Winds remain very strong in the Dublin region and are expected to remain that way throughout the morning. Further cancellations and delays to flights are possible during the remainder of the day."
Achill was struck by "a hurricane from the west" a few hours after Storm Eowyn hit Ireland last night.
Journalist and writer Edwin McGreal put a social media post up on X with a screen grab from a weather app he was using at the time.
The weather reading was taken from one of the more westerly parts of the island, near the Dooega River.
The author said in his post: “It's officially a hurricane on Achill Island.
“It's absolutely frightening how ferocious this is as it pounds the house.
“Never experienced anything like it, and it hasn't peaked yet.” Achill Island notoriously gets the brunt of the storms as they hit land in Ireland.
The ESB is also reporting at least five faults on the island affecting islanders and a number of houses on the mainland that have left 2,597 without power.
eir Telecommunications Services has reported significant disruptions across the country, with 11,000 broadband faults, 10,000 fixed voice issues, and around 500 mobile network site outages.
The company has 625 fixed network sites and 150 mobile sites operating on backup power, with the most severe disruptions affecting Cork, Mayo, Meath, Clare, and Kildare.
Fergal McCann of eir emphasized that restoring power will be crucial throughout the day to address these ongoing issues.
HSE chief executive Bernard Gloster said the winds have been so strong one ambulance crew had to pull in for a while on their way to answering an emergency call.
“We had one crew in the west of Ireland who had to take shelter in Connemara on their way to a call,” he said.
The services are facing “lots of challenges”, he added.
The emergency services are continuing to answer calls, however, but he said lack of electricity or closed roads could restrict this in some areas.
Some hospitals including Cork University Hospital have made separate arrangements for cancer patients receiving chemotherapy or kidney disease patients receiving dialysis.
He said arrangements are being made for pregnant women as well.
“They’re exactly the calls that the national ambulance service of course will prioritize to get a response to. And all of our services would be targeted at making sure we respond to people who have those absolutely time-critical needs,” he said.
He told the emergency departments also remain open.
They do not expect to discharge patients from wards today due to the weather. This could mean extra pressures on bed space if a high number of new patients arrive.
“There’s a lot of care will be backed up,” he said.
“We had to make arrangements for staff to come in earlier to make sure their shifts are covered. We are certainly very grateful to all of them, a lot of people do take a lot of risk in situations like this.”
Uisce Éireann have said that they expect about 150,000 customers could be at risk of water supply disruption during the day as a result of Storm Éowyn.
However, they noted the majority should still have water due to storage in reservoirs.
Two families in Co Kerry were evacuated as Storm Éowyn caused severe damage to their homes overnight.
In Dingle, a couple was forced to leave their home after the gable end of the house collapsed, meanwhile, in Ballybunion, a family was evacuated after high winds tore the roof off their house.
Paul Neary, senior engineer with Kerry County Council, told said: "The roof and gable of the house were very damaged so the two people had to be evacuated in the middle of the night and accommodation was found elsewhere for them,"
Mr Neary added that approximately 25,000 customers in the county are without power, with several roads also blocked by debris.
He said that the full extent of the damage in Kerry will be assessed throughout the morning.
Power outages caused by Storm Éowyn have now affected 715,000 homes and businesses nationwide as of 8am, according to ESB Networks.
In Northern Ireland the number of people without electricity stands at around 93,000.
The storm has caused unprecedented and widespread damage to electricity infrastructure, with further outages expected as the storm continues its path across the country.
The public is being urged to stay safe and avoid all contact with fallen wires or damaged electrical equipment, which are live and extremely dangerous.
Any sightings of damaged infrastructure should be reported immediately by calling 1800 372 999.
ESB Networks and partner contractors will be deployed to assess and repair the damage once conditions are safe.
Due to the scale of destruction, power restoration is expected to take several days.
ESB Networks manager Brian Tapley has said it will be "at least a week" before power is fully restored to customers all over Ireland.
Speaking on , Superintendent Liam Geraghty confirmed a serious incident in Lifford, Co Donegal.
"Unfortunately we are attending a serious road traffic collision on the N14, just north of Lifford," he said.
"We're not in a position to give any more details at the moment until we get to the scene and we assess what has happened.
"This does exemplify that this is a very dangerous and life-threatening storm."
He noted that the incident occurred during the Orange wind warning in effect for the area.
Superintendent Geraghty added that the severe weather conditions are making it challenging for gardaí to respond to incidents.
Records were broken in Galway last night where gusts of 183km/h were recorded at Mace Head.
7am
Severe winds has led to widespread flight cancellations at both Cork and Dublin airports.
At Cork Airport, multiple flights scheduled for Friday morning have been cancelled.
Dublin Airport has been similarly affected, with more than 110 scheduled departures and 110 arrivals cancelled as of 3.30am Friday. Most of the impacted flights were due to operate before 9am.
Travelers intending to fly on Friday are urged to confirm their flight status with their airline before heading to the airport to avoid unnecessary disruption.
Maximum gusts of 130km/h were recorded across Cork with up to 40mm of rainfall recorded which Cork County Council say created "multiple hazards".
Numerous trees have been brought down, and over 20,000 homes and businesses in Cork are without power.
Roads and footpaths remain hazardous due to fallen trees, downed power lines, and significant debris.
Dursey Cable Car has been taken out of action due to the "destructive" winds, the council say.
Gusts of over 130km/h have been recorded at a number of weather stations across Munster.
These include Roches Point and Sherkin Island in Cork, Valentia in Kerry and at Shannon in Clare.
:
Storm Éowyn has caused extensive damage to the electricity network across the country, leaving more than 560,000 homes, farms, and businesses without power as of 6am today.
With Status Red and Orange wind warnings in place until this afternoon, further outages are expected as the storm continues to move northward.
ESB Networks described the damage and customer impact as unprecedented and is closely monitoring the situation with repair crews are on standby to begin work as soon as conditions are deemed safe.
Due to the severity of the storm, power restoration is expected to take several days.
A number of Met Éireann's stations along the west coast were knocked offline by wind shortly after 6am, including at Mace Head in Galway where Ireland's wind record has provisionally been broken.
Met Éireann say that a gust of 183km/h was recorded at the weather station there.
The mean speed of 130km/h at the same station would be considered a hurricane force wind.
As of 6am, over 560,000 homes, farms and businesses are without power
ESB Networks say they will "continue to closely monitor the storm impact on power supplies and all available resources stand ready to mobilise once safe to do so."
Red warnings remain in place until 10am for Carlow, Kilkenny, Wexford, Cork, Kerry, Limerick and Waterford.
They are in place for Cavan, Monaghan, Dublin, Kildare, Laois, Longford, Louth, Meath, Offaly, Westmeath, Wicklow, Roscommon, Tipperary, Clare and Galway until 11am and Donegal until midday.
Check out the Irish Examiner's WEATHER CENTRE for regularly updated short and long range forecasts wherever you are.
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