Engineers from the UK are to travel to Ireland to help restore power, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar told that press conference.
He said: “So far we don’t have any reports of any injuries, but we do have trees down and power outrages. About 15,000 are without power ... in Cork.
“Staff are ready to come in from Northern Ireland and Britain to assist in the coming days in restoring power. We can only restore the power lines when it is safe to do so.”
He added: “While in some parts of the country the storm is not yet that bad it is coming your way and this is a national red alert. It applies to all cities all counties and all areas.
“Even after the storm has passed there will still be dangers. There will be trees on the ground. There will be power lines down.”
An Taoiseach and Ministers briefing the Media and emphasising the need for the public to heed the public safety messages being issued pic.twitter.com/F5UMsLIPiV
Wind speeds of more than 77 mph (124kmph) were recorded at Cork airport at 10am, while an offshore speed of more than 109 mph was recorded on Fastnet Rock.
Graphic of the max wind gusts to 10am. Highest gusts since 10am: Cork Airport 124km/h Fastnet Rock (6.5km offshore) 176km/h#Opheliapic.twitter.com/xbiGhh2OFE
Varadkar urges people to stay indoors as the storm passes. He said the government’s priority is to avoid injury. So far no injuries have been reported, he said.
Gust of more than 100mph were recorded as Tropical storm Ophelia approaches the southern coast of Ireland. A speed of of 165kmph (103mph) was recorded at an amateur station in Durrus, in county Cork.
There are already 5,000 homes without electricity due to power lines coming down as Storm Ophelia hits the south and south-west of Ireland.
Most of the power outages so far are in Cork and Kerry, where police said trees and power lines have already been brought down.
With the red weather warning now extended to the entire Irish Republic, Gardai have advised people to stay indoors and only go out for essential journeys.
Dublin Bus has withdrawn all its services in the Irish capital from 10am to 6pm tonight.
In Northern Ireland meanwhile the lord chief justice has ordered all courts to be shut by 12.30pm. The Department of Agriculture has announced the closure of all forest parks in Northern Ireland for the day. The closure of all schools and colleges including universities is unprecedented for Northern Ireland.
Here’s the stormy scene in Ballyrisode, in Cork south-west Ireland.
A spell of very windy weather is expected today in association with ex-Ophelia. Longer journey times and cancellations are likely, as road, rail, air and ferry services may be affected as well as some bridge closures. There is a good chance that power cuts may occur, with the potential to affect other services, such as mobile phone coverage. Flying debris is likely, such as tiles blown from roofs, as well as large waves around coastal districts with beach material being thrown onto coastal roads, sea fronts and properties. This leads to the potential for injuries and danger to life. This warning has been updated to extend it into parts of north and west Wales and into the extreme south-west of Scotland.
