Hurricane Ophelia victims: Cancer nurse and young father among three killed by storm in Ireland

A young father-of-two has been named as one of the three people killed as Storm Orphelia tore through Ireland on Monday.

Fintan Goss, 33, died after a tree fell onto his car while he drove home from work in Ravensdale, Co Louth at 2.45pm.

He had married his wife Pamela last year who had recently given birth to a second child, the Irish Mirror reported.

Mr Goss was reportedly alone in the car when the tree hit, and was pronounced dead at the scene.

Jim D’Arcy, a family friend and advisor to Irish premier Leo Varadkar, told the Irish Mirror: “It’s terrible for such a lovely family, you couldn’t get better.

“Words can’t express how everybody in the area feels about this. I taught the four kids so I know all about them. It’s a very cruel world.”

Cancer nurse Clare O’Neill, aged in her 50s, was the first to die in the storm after a tree also hit her car while she was driving in Co Waterford at 11.40am.

Gardai, the Irish police force, said a female passenger in her 70s was also injured and taken to hospital.

Mrs O’Neill, who worked at a nursing home, was pronounced dead at the scene.

Local grocer Richard Hurley told the Daily Mail: “She was a very jolly woman and always seemed to be happy and cheerful.

“She was very friendly and if I ever did anything for her, she was always very appreciative.”

Michael Pyke, 31, died while clearing a fallen tree with a chainsaw in Ardfinnan, Co Tipperary.

He was reportedly hit by a branch and died at the scene at around 12.30pm.

Family friend Liz Davies told the Irish Sun: “He was just such a lovely young man that was taken far too soon. I remember when he was younger, he was a cheeky wee man, but so funny.

“He grew to be such a lovely young man and now he is reunited with his mum. I am praying for his dad, his sisters and brothers and his whole family, that they can find the strength to get through this awful time.

“My thoughts are with them all, they are such a beautiful family.”

Off the coast of Rosslare, volunteer lifeboat crew rescued three men on a yacht after they got into trouble in the storm.

The men had been trying to get to safety in a harbour but were constantly pushed back by wind and tides.

They issued a mayday 10 miles offshore and were rescued by Rosslare Harbour lifeboat.

The storm force force winds were expected to have cleared Ireland's coast by midnight, but people have been warned to remain cautious in the aftermath of the extreme weather.

Fallen trees blocking roads and downed power lines are some of the likely hazards on Tuesday as the country returns to normal following a day when the island of Ireland went into lockdown.

The storm has caused major disruption to power supplies, with 330,000 homes and businesses still without power on Monday night.