Weather alert! Storm Barbara is arriving in time for Christmas

While we always knew there wasn't much chance of us getting a white Christmas, we were still secretly holding on to hope.

However, Met Eireann has issued a level orange weather warning for the rest of the week and the Christmas weekend, and it involves a lot of rain rather than a whimsical flurry of snow.

Heavy downpours and winds of up to 70kmph will begin to hit Ireland on Thursday, continuing until St Stephen's Day.

Coastal regions of Galway, Mayo and Donegal are expected to be the worst effected, with winds of up to 120kmph. 

A status yellow warning has been put in place for the rest of the country.

As the old saying goes, "don't make unnecessary journeys, don't take risks on treacherous roads."