Officials have closed schools and warned people to stay indoorsParts of Ireland and Northern Ireland are grappling with the devastating impact of Storm Eowyn, which hit early Friday with wind speeds exceeding 180 kilometers per hour.

Ireland has been hit with record wind gusts of 114 miles (183 kilometers) an hour as a winter storm batters the country and northern parts of the U.K. Schools have been closed, trains halted and hundreds of flights canceled in the Republic of Ireland,

Millions of people in Ireland and northern parts of the U.K. heeded the advice of authorities to stay at home Friday in the face of hurricane-force winds that disabled power networks and brought widespread travel disruptions.

PA, James Heneghan

Dublin: 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,