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Storm damage in Ringsend, Dublin Twitter/@KevinHumphreysDBS
AS IT HAPPENED

As it happened: Two killed and second day of National Ploughing Championships cancelled following Storm Ali

We charted everything as it happened during the first storm of the 18/19 season.

THE FIRST STORM of the winter season has finally passed, after gusts of up to 147 km/h and heavy rain battered Ireland during Storm Ali.

Two people were killed in the storm, which caused widespread travel disruption, power outages, and the cancellation of the second day of the National Ploughing Championships.

We charted everything as it happened, which you can take a look back at below.

First up is the sad news that a woman in her 50s has died after a caravan was blown off the edge of a cliff in Co Galway this morning.

The incident happened in Claddaghduff at around 7.45am this morning.

More on that here.

President Michael D Higgins has expressed his sadness at the death of a woman in Galway, the county he served as a TD.

In a statement, the President said: “Today’s strong winds can result in dangerous situations and I would urge everyone to heed the warnings by the authorities and take caution when travelling or when out in the open.

“I was deeply saddened to learn that storm Ali has already claimed one victim today in Claddagduff, Co Galway. As President of Ireland, may I express my deepest condolences to her family.

“I would also take this opportunity to pay tribute to all those, in statutory and voluntary organisations around the country, who are helping and stand ready to assist their fellow citizens, and who are working to maintain essential services around the country.”

Fallen trees have led to the closure of dozens of roads across the country, and AA Roadwatch has a list of affected areas on its website.

 

 

MAYO: 

There are a number of fallen trees in the Claremorris area, including on the N60 and the Ballinrobe Rd (R331) which are fully blocked. Gardaí advise against travelling in the area due to dangerous conditions.

GALWAY: 

 

The N67 (Old N18) is closed between Kilcolgan and Clarinbridge due to fallen trees.

St Mary’s Rd is closed due to a fallen tree, and so is is the nearby Crescent.

 

Salthill Promeade has been closed due to the weather conditions.

There are a large number of fallen trees in the Salthill area, with extreme caution advised.

The N59 is currently blocked near Roscahill by a tree.

There’s a tree down at the Browne R/A on Seamus Quirke Rd in the city – traffic can get by with care.

A number of fallen trees are blocking the N84 at the Curraghline

The Loughrea/Woodford Rd (R351) is blocked by a fallen tree.

The Tuam/Barnaderg Rd (R332) is closed due to trees down.

There’s a tree down on the Ballinrobe Rd (R332) just outside Tuam at Kilbannon.

The Scarriff/Portumna Rd (R352) is down to one lane due to lots of fallen trees.

 

There’s a fallen trees blocking the road at Caltra NS (R339).

 

The Mountbellew/Caltra Rd (R358) is closed due to fallen trees.

 

The Menlough/Monivea Rd (R339) is down to one lane at Garbally Castle due to a fallen trees.

 

The Loughgeorge/Abbeyknockmoy Rd (R354) is closed due to a fallen tree.

 

There are several fallen trees on the back road between Corradulla and Loughgeorge (linking the Tuam Rd and Headford Rd).

SLIGO: 

There’s a fallen tree on the N4 between Lackagh and Collooney, and a fallen electricity pole near Castlebaldwin.

There’s a fallen tree on the N15 north of Drumcliffe

There’s a tree down on the Slishwood/Ballintogher Rd (R287).

There are trees down  on the Sligo/Ballinode Rd(R278) on the Sligo Town side of Calry.

There are trees down on the Sligo/Leitrim Village Rd (R284) at Ballygawley and just south of Geevagh.

A fallen tree is blocking the Ballygawley/Collooney Rd (R290).

The Ballymote/Boyle Rd (R295) is blocked by a tree at Keash.

 

ULSTER

DONEGAL:

There are several fallen trees on the N14 between Letterkenny and Lifford, with the road fully blocked.

There’s a tree down on the Frosses/Glenties Rd (R262).

MUNSTER

 

CORK: 

A fallen tree has been cleared from the N22 between Ovens and Macroom, near the turn off for Crookstown,

 

A tree has been cleared from the South City Link Rd inbound near the Turners Cross exit.

 

A tree has been cleared from the North Ring Rd in Cork City at Tinkers Cross. 

 

A tree has also been cleared on Centre Park Rd in the City also. 

KERRY: 

A tree has been cleared frm the N72 between Killarney and Killorglin near Fossa GAA Club.

 

Also on the N72, all lanes have reopened near Barraduff following the removal of a tree.

 

A tree has been cleared from the N22 near the level crossing between Killarney and Glenflesk.

 

A fallen tree has been cleared from the Abbeydorney/Listowel Rd (R557) near Lixnaw.

 

A tree has been cleared from the Ballyduff/Ballyheigue Rd (R551) at Dromartin.

TIPPERARY: 

Fallen power cables on the Ballyhasty Rd (R490) and Cloughjordan. Emergency services are at the scene.

LEINSTER

 

DUBLIN: 

There is a fallen tree on Cuffe St in Dublin City blocking traffic headed towards St Stephen’s Green.

Highfield Rd is due to close after a tree has fallen. 

There is a tree down on Booterstown Ave near the Punch Bowl.

Glasthule Rd is partially blocked on the Dun Laoghaire side of Adelaide Rd. 

There is a tree down on the Finglas Rd at Glasnevin Cemetery. 

There is a tree blocking one lane of the N81 at Jobstown.  

There are reports of a tree down outside Donnybrook heading onto Leeson St Upper. 

North Road in the Phoenix Park is closed because of fallen branches. Traffic is being diverted onto Odd Lamp Rd and Chesterfield Ave. Cabra Gate is also closed.

There are trees down on either side of the Long Mile Rd near the Naas Rd Jct.

There is a fallen tree blocking Palmerston Rd in Rathgar near Temple Gardens.

Reports of a fallen tree and damaged power cables in Sandyford Village at Sandyford House.

A tree is reportedly down on Griffith Ave near the St Mobhí Rd jct. 

A tree has fallen on a car on Trees Rd Upper.

A tree is reportedly down on Sybill Hill Rd at St Paul’s College in Killester. 

KILDARE:

The N78 is blocked by a fallen tree just outside Athy on the Carlow side.

OFFALY: 

The Clara/Kilbeggan Rd (R436) is blocked near Clara due to a fallen tree.

WESTMEATH: 

There is a tree down on the N4 between J16 Mullingar Centre and J17 Mullingar West.

A tree has fallen on the Castlepollard/Delvin Rd (R395) between Drumcree and Collinstown.

LONGFORD:

The N63 is blocked just east of Lanesboro by a fallen tree.

Stephen O’Dea has been in touch to share this picture of storm damage in Rathmines, Dublin.

A very lucky escape for the a number of car-owners.

Palmerston Road Stephen O'Dea Stephen O'Dea

The PSNI have issued an update on road closures in Northern Ireland.

The M1 Motorway is closed westbound from Black’s Road Dunmurry and east bound from Saintfield Road due to fallen cables.

Meanwhile, And the Saintfield Road is also closed at the junction of the old Ballynahinch Road due to a fallen tree.

In Derry, the Foyle Bridge is closed due to adverse weather conditions.

Police have advised motorists to exercise extreme caution and to stay in their vehicles.

In Clare, a Ryanair flight was forced to abort two attempted landings at Shannon Airport this morning before diverting to Liverpool.

Flight FR-805 was travelling from Stansted in England to Ireland West Airport in Knock when the crew were forced to divert to Shannon because of highs winds in Knock. At the time, there were wind gusts of 45 knots (83kmh) reported at the Mayo airport.

The Boeing 737-800 jet was rerouted to Shannon but was forced to abort its first landing after the crew reported wind shear on the approach. The crew performed a go-around and repositioned for a second attempt at landing.

Winds at Shannon were gusting 58 knots (107kmh) at the time and the flight was unable to land on the second attempt.

The crew examined their options and considered a number of airports they could divert to. After checking the weather conditions at Kerry and Dublin airports, the crew opted to divert to Liverpool.

The crew of another inbound flight reported wind shear on the approach to Shannon but the larger Boeing 757 aircraft was able to land safely.

Meanwhile, management at the Cliffs of Moher in Co Clare have been forced to close the visitor centre because of the high winds.

The public has been warned not to visit the cliffs where conditions have been described as “extremely dangerous”.

In a statement, a spokesperson said: “The Visitor Centre is closed to the public. Do not visit as it is extremely dangerous. We are constantly assessing the situation and will update as soon as possible.”

Clare County Council is warning the public to avoid exposed coastal locations today due to forecast stormy conditions.

The opening of the National Ploughing Championships has now been pushed back to 12pm due to safety concerns over the weather.

Those who have already arrived are asked to remain in their cars in the car park.

In case you’re wondering just how windy it is out there…

Here’s the latest from the National Ploughing Championships, the opening of which has been delayed until 12pm (at least).

2658 Storm Ali_90554294 Storm Ali Damage at the National Ploughing Championships

2661 Storm Ali_90554293 Storm Ali Damage at the National Ploughing Championships

2664 Storm Ali_90554292 Storm Ali Damage at the National Ploughing Championships Sam Boal / Rollingnews Sam Boal / Rollingnews / Rollingnews

In Fermanagh, the PSNI have advised that the A4 at Enniskillen is closed between Tamlaght and Killyhevlin Hotel due to a fallen tree, and that diversions are in place.

ESB now say 140,000 customers are without power due to over 750 separate faults. The most affected areas include, Cavan, Sligo, Galway, Thurles, Castlebar, Tralee, Portlaoise, Mullingar and Dundalk.

Trees are falling on vehicles everywhere it seems. This picture was taken by Rich Evans in Dublin 2.

Storm Ali 1 Rich Evans Rich Evans

You’d want to have a strong stomach.

Flight radar Flightradar24 Flightradar24

The storm appears to have slightly eased off in the last hour or so, but it’s still VERY windy out there.

Please stand by.

Twitter user @Rusana31 has taken these images of storm damage in Clontarf, Dublin.

Rusana1 @Rusana31 @Rusana31

Rusana2

More on the cancellation of day two of the National Ploughing Championships (via my windswept colleague Adam Daly).

AnnMarie McHugh said earlier today on RTÉ Radio 1 that the decision to open will be made in conjunction with Met Éireann.

“Public safety is our priority, we are asking those who are in transit to the event already to remain in their car until things are at a safe level. 

 “We are hoping that we will be able to open the gates, obviously public safety is of utmost importance so we won’t be opening the gates unless it is safe to do so,” she said. 

McHugh added that anyone who cannot attend the event will have their tickets honoured tomorrow. 

Currently, organisers are trying to secure hoarding at the front of stands which have been blown down.

In better weather news, it’s expected to be sunny and pretty warm when the storm finally passes later.

The42′s Fintan O’Toole has branched out (eh?) and become a roving weather reporter for a few minutes. He’s got more pictures of those fallen trees on Palmerston Road in Dublin 6.

Palmerston1

Palmerston2 Fintan O'Toole Fintan O'Toole

It’s not just cars that are feeling the brunt of falling branches, with Irish Rail tweeting this picture of one of their trains earlier.

An Post have said that a number of postal services in the north and north west of the country have been disrupted due to the bad weather.

More than 60 post offices have been temporarily affected, and An Post is working to restore full services as soon as possible.

A spokesman told TheJournal.ie that the closures are in Galway, Sligo, Mayo and Donegal, while a small number of services in Louth are also affected.

Latest wind speeds from around the country. There are unconfirmed reports that Mace Head and Cork Airport have blown away.

More on those postal closures. The Department of Social Protection has released a list of post offices where welfare recipients can go if their local office is closed.

The Three Rock transmitter in the Dublin Mountains is down. Just in case you’re worried that World War 3 has broken out.

William Scully has been in touch to share this image of a fallen tree on the north quays at the Hapenny Bridge.

Hapenny Fallen trees in Dublin City centre William Scully William Scully

In case you needed telling, Dublin Fire Brigade have been working VERY hard all day. They’ve received 140 calls already, and it’s not even lunchtime.

 

Some of the damage caused to the railings outside Griffith College on Dublin’s South Circular Road. Thanks to Niall Meehan for the photo.

Griffith1 Niall Meehan Niall Meehan

If you’re in Dublin and planning a walk or cycle, don’t go to the Phoenix Park.

The Office of Public Works has advised people to stay away because strong gusts are scattering loose debris around the park, which may be dangerous.

Scenes at Dublin Airport earlier. Not for the faint-hearted.

 

Tom Quinn has sent on this stunning picture of Lough Carra in Co Mayo, offering a hope of what’s to follow after the storm passes.

Quinn's Bay Quinns Bay in Lough Carra, Mayo Tom Quinn Tom Quinn

The scene in Galway where a woman in her 50s tragically lost her life earlier today.

 

Around 186,000 customers are now without power across the country.

ESB Networks has said that the outages are affecting homes, farms and businesses and that the areas most affected include parts of Cavan, Sligo, Galway, Mayo, Kerry and the Midlands. 

A total of 750 power outages have been reported and are mainly down to fallen trees damaging power lines in the high winds.

Good news for radio fans: the Three Rock transmitter in the Dublin Mountains is back up and running.

Luas Green Line services have been disrupted after a tree fell on overhead power lines between Beechwood and Ranelagh.

There is no service between Balally and Dominick Street, although services are between Brides Glen and Balally and Dominick Street and Broombridge.

It’s expected to be a number of hours before full service is restored, but Luas tickets are valid on Dublin Bus for the duration of the disruption. 

All Red Line services are operating normally.

Pretty incredible stuff from the first floor of the Stephen’s Green Shopping Centre in Dublin.

Latest wind reports from Met Éireann. Apparently Mace Head, which recorded some of the strongest winds at the height of Storm Ali, has not blown away.

 

More fallen trees around Dublin, this time on O’Connell Street, Glasnevin and Donnycarney.

At this rate, there’ll be none left by the time spring arrives.

 

Autumn weather Sep 19th 2018 Workmen deal with a fallen tree on Finglas Road by Glasnevin Cemetery PA Wire / PA Images PA Wire / PA Images / PA Images

Donnycarney A fallen tree in Donnycarney Hayley Halpin Hayley Halpin

Meanwhile, Jane Arigho has been in touch from Glenageary, where the storm took out half of the hedges in her front garden and knocked the apples out of her tree.

Thankfully the apples have since found a new home.

Image Jane Arigho Jane Arigho

 

Image-1 Jane Arigho Jane Arigho

Ireland isn’t the only place feeling the effects of Storm Ali (although we’re certainly getting the brunt of it).

High winds have also hit Scotland and England, where these mesmeric windswept women were photographed this morning.

Autumn weather Sep 19th 2018 Danny Lawson / PA Images Danny Lawson / PA Images / PA Images

More images from the scene in Claddaghduff, Co Galway, where a Swiss woman tragically lost her life earlier today.

The woman’s body was found in the sea after her caravan was blown off the coast due to high winds.

Autumn weather Sep 19th 2018 A man picks up debris at the scene in Claddaghduff, near Clifden in Co Galway PA Wire / PA Images PA Wire / PA Images / PA Images

Autumn weather Sep 19th 2018 A man looks at debris at the scene in Claddaghduff, near Clifden in Co Galway PA Wire / PA Images PA Wire / PA Images / PA Images

 

Autumn weather Sep 19th 2018 The scene in Claddaghduff, near to the location a woman was found in the sea after her caravan was blown off a cliff PA Wire / PA Images PA Wire / PA Images / PA Images

Here’s that fallen tree on the Luas Green line. Services between Balally and Dominick are still disrupted after a tree fell on an overhead powerline.

IMG_1261 The overhead power line wrapped around the tram pantograph Transdev Transdev

A number of trains across the country are still delayed as a result of Storm Ali. Here’s the latest from Irish Rail:

Hayley Halpin here taking over from Stephen McDermott for the afternoon. 

If you have any tips or pictures about Storm Ali you can contact me at hayley@thejournal.ie or on Twitter at @hayleyhalpin1 

An Garda Síochána has confirmed that the north road in the Phoenix Park is now closed. 

All traffic going to the city will be diverted to Odd Lamp Road towards Chesterfield Avenue. 

Gardaí have asked people to note the following closures:

  • Cabra Gate
  • The People’s Gardens
  • Arbour Hill Cemetery
  • Grangegorman Military Cemetery

Fingal County Council crews have been hard at work on New Street in Malahide, Dublin this afternoon as a result of Storm Ali. 

The road has been closed off as a result of fallen trees and lampposts. 

An inspection of street lights on Church Road is currently taking place, and the council has warned that there may be some traffic disruption. 

Well, it looks like it was most definitely the best call to cancel today’s National Ploughing Championships in Tullamore. 

Here’s a look at some of the damage Storm Ali has caused to the site: 

Some good news… Met Éireann has said that it looks like southwest and westerly winds will continue to ease off through the late afternoon and evening. 

Dublin Airport

Dublin Airport has now said that about 75 flights have been cancelled due to high winds today. Another 10 flights have been diverted. 

Passengers are being advised to check with their airline in relation to specific flights. 

If your flight has been delayed, Dublin Airport has said its car parks will not charge you any extra fees. 

Fallen trees have caused significant damage throughout the country. 

Here’s the scene of a car on Dublin’s North Circular Road after a tree fell on its windscreen. 

Image from iOS (2) Emma Connolly Emma Connolly

And here’s some more groundbreaking stuff happening in Artane, Dublin.

Thanks to Hayley for taking over for the last hour or so. Stephen McDermott here, back for the next while to cover your storm-related news as it happens.

A reminder that you can send me any pictures or other content by email at stephen.mcdermott@thejournal.ie or on Twitter via @Ste_McDermott.

Organisers of the National Ploughing Championships have confirmed that there will be an extra day of events on Friday. They’ve also said that anyone who had an entry wristbands for today will be allowed in both tomorrow and Friday.

Organisers will have their work cut out for get the National Ploughing Championships venue looking right again.

Here’s some of the mess caused by Storm Ali: 

More of you have been in touch with images of the damage caused by Storm Ali.

Alan Daly spotted this unfortunately-parked car outside Salthill and Monkstown DART station in Dublin:

Salthill and Monkstown Alan Daly Alan Daly

And nearby in Dalkey, Sean O’Kelly spotted this fallen tree in his own back garden:

Bad news for stargazers: the Dark Sky Event due to take at the Papal Cross car park in Dublin’s Phoenix Park has been called off because of the storm.

The good news is that the park itself is back open.

There are reports that a person in Northern Ireland has died in the storm. More on that as we get it.

Luas services on the Green Line have resumed between Dawson Street and Dominick Street, after a tree fell on overhead wires between Charlemont and Ranelagh earlier.

However, there is still no service between Dawson Street and Balally.

A reminder to evening commuters that Luas tickets are valid on all Dublin Bus services until a full Luas service is restored.

Met Éireann have just released a list of the maximum wind speeds recorded during Storm Emma.

Gusts hit a staggering 147km/h in Mace Head in Galway, equivalent to those experienced in a category 1 hurricane.

Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government Eoghan Murphy has tweeted that Met Éireann do not expect to renew weather warnings this evening.

However, he has also urged the public to continue to exercise caution as gusts of up to 74km/h continue in parts of the country.

Around 126,000 ESB customers are still without power as a result of the storm, with Cavan, Sligo, Leitrim, Donegal, Castlebar, Galway, Portlaoise, Dundalk, Mullingar and parts of north county Dublin the worst-affected areas. 

More from my colleague Hayley Halpin on the death of a man in Northern Ireland.

It’s reported that the man, who was in his 20s, was killed after he was hit by a falling tree in the Drumintee Road area of Newry this afternoon.

You can read the full story here.

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