Met Éireann has issued a national weather warning in advance of the Easter bank holiday weekend.
Storm Dave is forecast to bring strong winds to the country on Saturday, with a status yellow wind warning in place for all counties from 2pm to 11pm on Saturday. The Met Office has also issued a yellow wind warning for all counties in the North valid from 2pm on Saturday to 2am on Easter Sunday.
Met Éireann has warned of very strong southerly winds with severe gusts and gales in coastal areas.
Easter Sunday is expected to be a bright but breezy day with scattered showers and cool temperatures of between 7 and 10 degrees during the day. Easter Monday is set to be windy again with patches of rain and mist.
The National Severe Weather and Flooding Coordination Group convened a meeting on Thursday afternoon with relevant parties, including utility providers, in preparation for any weather-related disruption.
The group is advising people to stay away from coastal areas and will monitor the weather conditions over the upcoming long weekend.
Fallen trees and branches, wave overtopping and difficult travel conditions may be expected as a result of Storm Dave.
The Road Safety Authority has advised drivers to slow down in difficult conditions, allowing for longer braking distances and to avoid driving through flooded roads.
Earlier, forecaster Aoife Kealy said weather warnings were likely to be in place in the coming days as a strong Atlantic depression crosses the country.
Thursday night is set to bring temperatures of between 3 and 8 degrees with scattered showers overnight into Good Friday.
Some sun may be expected on Friday with temperatures of up to 14 degrees before Storm Dave makes its way to Irish shores on Saturday afternoon.
The unsettled conditions look set to continue into next week.