THE search will resume this morning for a 23 year old Galway man washed out to sea at Mullaghmore, Co Sligo, yesterday.
The man was walking along the rocks with about five friends when waves carried him out to sea. A second man was also swept out to sea but he managed to get back to shore.
Lifeboats from Bundoran, Co Donegal, and Ballyglass Co Mayo, were searching for the man last night with assistance from the Sikorsky helicopter based at Shannon. The lifeboats and helicopters returned to base at about 7 p.m. last night but personnel from the Irish Marine Emergency Services at Killala, Co Mayo, continued the search from the shoreline.
At Rosslare harbour, Co Wexford, the Irish Ferries vessel, St Killian, broke its moorings yesterday with 43 people on board.
Winds were gale force west to north west force 8, rising to storm force 10 at times. The stern of the ship is reported to have beached, but the vessel was moved to a jetty at the old ferry berth later in the afternoon. There were no injuries.
The weekend winds and rain caused particular difficulty in the north west. Parts of north Mayo and west Sligo were without electricity yesterday after trees fell in gusts of over 70 m.p.h. The strongest winds occurred in Belmullet Co Mayo, where gusts of 78 m.p.h. were recorded on Saturday night.
In Donegal, storm force winds isolated three islands off the coast and the ferry service linking Arranmore island with the mainland remained cancelled yesterday in the face of heavy seas.
Tory island, 11 miles off the Donegal coast, has been isolated by gales since Thursday last and according to reports from Malin Head weather station, waves up to 30 feet high lashed the north Donegal coast.
The winds and rain are expected to continue over the next couple of days with showers of snow possible over the east and north of the country.