Weather warning: It will rain early and it will rain often

Met Éireann has issued yellow wind and rain warnings for the whole country for election day.

Voters going to the polls on Saturday are likely to have to brave winds gusting at up to 110 km/h and heavy rain.

It is also going to be an extremely wet weekend with torrential rain on both election day and Sunday across the country with highest concentrations in the west and north west.

The yellow wind warning will take place from 9am on Saturday morning, an hour after the polls open and will last until midnight on Monday morning. .

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The yellow rain warning comes into effect on Saturday at noon, and lasts until 3pm on Sunday.

Heavy rain will spread eastwards across the country on Saturday, with up to 40mm expected.

On Sunday, heavy rain will clear to squally, wintry showers.

The heavy rain could lead to a risk of localised flooding this weekend, especially over the western half of the country.

Storm Ciara, named by the UK Met Office, is set to cross over Ireland on Sunday with a risk of damaging gusts.

The danger is compounded by a combination of Spring tides and high seas giving rise to an elevated risk of coastal flooding in Atlantic coastal areas.

The weather forecast is potentially bad news for the two big events of the weekend - the opening of Galway 2020 European Year of Culture is due to take place in South Park, Claddagh on Saturday night and the Ireland v Wales Six Nations match takes place on Saturday afternoon at 2.15pm.