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Flood defences were being erected by a number of local authorities on Monday evening as the country braced itself for the onset of Storm Barra.
In Limerick flood defences have been erected along Clancy and O'Callaghan Strands and along the City Quays.
Staff at Revenue in Sarsfield House in the city were advised not to leave any vehicles in the car park near Arthur's Quay overnight while flood defences have also been erected in Foynes, Askeaton and Glin.
In Dublin, car parks at Clontarf and Sandymount have been closed in addition to the flood gates in the Dodder. There will be no access to the South Bull Wall or the wooden bridge in Clontarf during the worst of the storm. The floodgates have also been closed in the Malahide/Howth area.
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In Galway the city has deployed its aqua dam to try mitigate against the worst impact of the storm. Silverstrand Beach and the Salthill Promenade will remain closed on Tuesday while the city council will also potentially close roads along the Claddagh, Docks and Spanish Arch.
Cork City Council said it had a limited stock of gel bags and sandbags available for collection by the public and businesses at the Council Depot, Anglesea Terrace and Tramore Valley Park Civic Amenity site.
The council said a number of road closures and traffic restrictions would be necessary in Cork.
“Diversions will be put in place to ensure traffic can still circulate. These will be introduced from early morning to reduce the impact of traffic moving through standing water. Any restrictions will be eased as appropriate.”
Storm Barra is expected to bring very strong and disruptive winds and heavy rain on Tuesday and Wednesday, with the strongest and most impactful winds expected across western areas. Met Éireann has issued a red wind warning for counties Cork, Kerry and Clare on Tuesday, as Storm Barra is expected to bring severe and damaging wind gusts in excess of 130km/h. An orange wind warning is in place for many western counties and some eastern counties, with a yellow wind warning covering the rest of the country.
Transport disruption
Transport services will be affected. All Bus Éireann services in Cork and Kerry will be suspended on Tuesday.
This cancellation will also apply to all routes operating into or out of the status red warning area including Expressway services 13, 14, 40 and 51. Cancellations may be extended to other counties should the status red warning area be increased.
The company says it will try to recommence services earlier should the red weather warning be lifted earlier than expected.
"We will be advising customers of any further updates on www.buseireann.ie and on social media @buseireann and local and regional media will receive any updates. We expect services to resume on Wednesday and we regret any inconvenience this may cause our customers."
Commuter services in Co Clare would be suspended from 4pm, the company said.
Cork Airport cancelled its early morning Aer Lingus services to Amsterdam and London Heathrow on Tuesday.
In Kerry the National Parks and Wildlife Service has advised that public sites including Killarney National Park will be closed on Tuesday as will Muckross House and Killarney House and Gardens. All Covid-19 vaccination centres and test centres will also be closed in Kerry and Cork on Tuesday.
The HSE has said that there will be disruption to hospital services across Cork and Kerry too on Tuesday as a result of the storm. The focus will be on essential and life-saving services.
Retail and banking is also impacted by the storm. Aldi is closing its stores in Cork and Kerry on Tuesday while their stores in Clare will be closed from 3pm on Tuesday and will reopen at 9am on Wednesday. AIB will also temporarily close branches in Cork, Kerry and Clare on Tuesday.