Record high winds from Storm Eowyn battered Ireland and Northern Ireland on Friday, leaving almost one-third of Irish homes and businesses without power and forcing cancellation of hundreds of flights and the closure of schools and public transport.

Storm Eowyn brought record 183 km/h winds to Ireland, causing widespread damage, power outages, and flight cancellations. Northern Ireland and Scotland also faced school closures and transport disruptions,

Ireland recorded its strongest-ever wind gusts on Friday as "destructive" Storm Eowyn barrelled in from the Atlantic, leaving hundreds of thousands of homes without power, grounding flights and shutting schools, officials said.