A British Midlands BMI flight, carrying 91 passengers from London to Dublin, was forced to divert to Shannon after being struck by lightning yesterday, as many parts of the country battled severe storms throughout the day and overnight.
This saw gusts of up to 135 km/h recorded at the Met Éireann station in Belmullet, Co Mayo, last night, with violent storm force 11 winds also forecast to take place at sea off the north coast overnight.
The BMI flight was among three flights which had to be diverted from Dublin airport due to what a spokeswoman for the Dublin Airport Authority labelled "squalling swirling winds".
All three - including two Aer Lingus flights from Paris and Geneva - were due to land in quick succession at approximately 4.40pm, she said.
A spokesman for BMI confirmed that its aircraft was hit by lightning and had been diverted to Shannon.
He had received no reports of injuries to any passengers and could not say what damage if any had been caused to the aircraft. All passengers were being transferred by coach to Dublin last night, he added.
A spokesman for the Garda press office said it had received no reports of any major incidents due to the adverse weather by yesterday evening.
Dublin Fire Brigade said it had received some calls due to flooding in more rural areas, but also reported no major incidents.
Pat Clarke, a forecaster with Met Éireann, said north and northwest parts of the country were most affected by the storm. However, it was expected to have moved on towards Scotland by this morning.
He added that the coming days would remain very unsettled and changeable, with strong winds and rain at times and the likelihood of frost and ice at others.