THE WOMAN killed when a tree was blown on to her car was named yesterday as Maireád Teresa Shields (35) from Raholp, near Downpatrick, Co Down.
She died in the incident which took place on the road between Downpatrick and Strangford at the height of the storm on Saturday afternoon.
Winds reached 112km/h bringing down power lines, cutting supplies and disrupting traffic. The worst weather was experienced in counties Armagh, Antrim and Down. Minor roads were blocked for a time by fallen trees and debris.
Some ferry services from Northern ports were disrupted for a time, but Stena Line reported last night that all services were running to schedule again.
The occupants of 12 homes in a small cul-de-sac in Co Clare ran from their homes yesterday after lightning shattered a nearby tree sending chunks of timber crashing into kitchens and bedrooms.
There was also considerable damage caused to the local primary school. The alarm was raised before 10am as residents of Clonmoney Grove in Crusheen were in bed or having breakfast. People ran from their homes as fuse boxes exploded and telephone sockets and light fittings were blown off walls. ESB manholes were tossed several feet in the air.
Acting school principal Orla Brady said: “We were very lucky. It appears the lighting struck a rail in the yard and travelled through the fence to the tree. We had 15 windows blown out and our electricity and telephones are gone.”
On Saturday, a young woman, who got lost after becoming disoriented in a storm in Co Clare was rescued from a stone hut near Fanore where she had been sheltering after she called emergency services on her mobile phone.
Icy road conditions led to a single vehicle crash at Moorepark near Fermoy, Co Cork, early yesterday morning. An adult and 10-year-old boy were hospitalised for non-life threatening injuries.