The clean up from Storm Ophelia begins in earnest this morning, after the country was hammered by the storm yesterday.

Three people lost their lives in counties Waterford, Tipperary and Louth, while the ex-hurricane left an unprecedented number of people without power.

Co Mayo appears to have escaped the worst of the storm, although it did result in a number of fallen trees and localised flooding, while some areas are still without power supplies.

Public transport is returning to normal this morning.

Ireland West Airport Knock is open and operating as normal, and is advising passengers to contact their airlines for the latest information on their flight status.

Irish Rail says Intercity services are operating, with the exception of the 9.45 train from Westport to Heuston station which has been cancelled this morning.

There was also reduced capacity on some of the early morning trains from Galway to Dublin.

Bus Eireann services are all resuming this morning, except for the school transport scheme, as schools across the country are remaining closed today.

Most colleges and universities are reopening.

NUI Galway is reopening this morning.

GMIT says it’s campuses in Galway city and Letterfrack will reopen as normal this morning also, while the GMIT Mayo campus will reopen at 11am this morning.

The GMIT campus in Mountbellew remains closed today, and will reopen tomorrow.

Crèche and Montessori facilities are also remaining closed for the most part.

The Irish Medical Organisation is warning of backlogs at GP surgeries and at Emergency Departments in the coming days.

Health officials are urging members of the public to only attend their family doctor or casualties in urgent cases, as staff work to assist those affected by the storm.

Meanwhile, anyone who had an outpatient appointment cancelled due to the storm will be contacted to reschedule their appointment.