THOUSANDS of homes and businesses lost electricity yesterday as Storm Barra battered Ireland.
Gusts of 76mph were recorded at Orlock Head in Co Down and 71mph at Magilligan in Co Derry.
Some flights were cancelled while the Christmas Market in Belfast was forced to closed due to strong winds and heavy rain.
Several National Trust properties, including the Carrick-a-Rede bridge in north Antrim as well as Mount Stewart house and Castle Ward in Co Down, were closed.
Derry police and fire crews dealt with fallen scaffolding at the junction of Academic Road with Rosemount Avenue while the Harbour Road in Ballyhalbert was flooded.
The Rostrevor Road in Warrenpoint was closed with dramatic footage on social media showing waves breaking the coast wall and spraying water over passing cars.
A spokesperson for Northern Ireland Electricity (NIE) said the high winds and adverse weather caused a low level of damage to the network.
At the storm's peak however, around 8,000 homes and businesses were without power as extra staff were brought in to deal with the repair effort and field calls.
A yellow wind warning remained in place until 6pm last night, with NIE confirming the number of customers affected had dropped to 1,500 by teatime.
In the Republic, red warnings were in place for Cork, Kerry and Clare due to a combination of coastal flooding, high tides and storm surges, Met Éireann said.
Almost 49,000 homes south of the border were without power.
A gust of 70mph was recorded at 6am on Sherkin Island off the coast of Cork and, in Cork city, the River Lee spilled over onto the city's quays.
The country's next warning level, status orange, was in effect for a time across counties Limerick, Waterford, Galway, Mayo, Wexford, Dublin, Louth, Wicklow and east Meath.
Schools across multiple counties in the Republic were advised to close again today by the Department of Education in order to assess the impact of the storm.
In a statement issued last night, the department said schools that are "currently or forecast to be in a Red or Orange alert area" should remain closed on December 8.
"This includes counties Donegal, Sligo, Leitrim, Cork, Kerry, Waterford, Limerick, Clare, Galway, Mayo and Wexford."
Schools no longer in a Red or Orange alert area can reopen if school managers have addressed concerns, had an opportunity to check for fallen wires and other serious damage in the vicinity of school buildings.
The department further advised that if an individual school in a Status Yellow area experiences a local issue relating to the storm, then their Board of Management can make a decision to remain closed.
