Brrr...wrap up as Met Éireann issues snow and ice warnings

As rugby fans flocked to the capital to watch the big game snow fell heavily across the city.

Met Éireann had issued a yellow alert snow and ice warning on Sunday morning to stay in place until Wednesday.

Later on Sunday the warning has been changed to remain until Monday 9pm. Forecasters said a cold airmass from Canada was bringing snow showers across the country.

Several centimetres of snow is expected to build up over hills and snow is also expected to settle with a “few centimetres” on low levels mainly in the west and north.

Dublin airport suspended its operations for about 20 minutes on Sunday to sweep slush from the main runway.

The alert also tells people to watch out for icy patches.

Met Éireann forecaster Pat Clarke said the north and west of the country were more likely to see a “covering of snow” next week.

“It’s March of many weathers. It’s meant to be the start of spring on Sunday but the weather doesn’t always start on cue. The weather will continue with wintry feel more than anything,” he said.

Temperatures are set to drop to minus 2 degrees on Sunday night as snow, sleet, hail and thundery showers are forecast to continue until Thursday.

Met Éireann is also warning of frost and icy stretches on roads, mainly in south-western to north-western counties, with strong westerly winds veering north-west on Tuesday.

Temperatures are expected to rise later in the week, with milder conditions by the weekend.

Surfers in Sligo

While the chillier conditions may be tempering March hare madness on land, a group of professional surfers recorded what photographer Finn Mullen describes as one of the “best days of the big wave season” on water on Friday.

"Really scary, stupid big,"was how New York-born surfer and secondary school teacher Dylan Stott (36), described the conditions at Mullaghmore, Co Sligo, with waves of 10 metres and over.

Mr Stott learned how to surf on Long Island and lived for ten years in Hawaii before moving to Sligo.

He regards the Irish north-west coast as one of the best surf locations on the planet.

"Ireland may not have Hawaii's sunshine, but the temperatures here keep the crowds down and there's room for everyone on the water,"he said.

Mr Stott works in a team with a jetski partner to tow him into waves, but says that a new generation of surfers has developed the stamina to paddle into the swell.

“You use up a lot of oxygen which you might need to get you through a wipe-out, and it is a whole other level to the sport,”he said.

Also captured on waves by Mr Mullen were South African professional surfer Barry Mottershead, Josh Hughes from Cornwall, England and Connor Maguire from Bundoran, Co Donegal.