Tributes have been paid to a man who died after a tree fell on his car in County Donegal during Storm Éowyn.

Kacper Dudek was travelling on the N14, north of Lifford, near Ballinalecky Cross, when the incident happened early on Friday.

Members of the local community have described the 20-year-old as a “gentle soul” who was “very well respected in the area.”

Father Michael McCaughey said Mr Dudek was “very well known and respected, and this has certainly caused a lot of pain and sadness for the local people.”

Mr Dudek’s former school, The Holy Cross College in Strabane, said it sends “thoughts and prayers to the family and friends of our past student.”

“May Kacper’s gentle soul rest in peace.”

Principal Ciaran Johnston said his former pupil was a “really great and conscientious student.”

He added: “Students and staff alike seem to have the same recollection of Kacper, that he was a true gentleman.”

In the Republic of Ireland, there are approximately 330,000 customers still without power, down from a peak of 768,000 as a result of Storm Éowyn.

On Saturday morning, Tánaiste (Irish deputy prime minister) Simon Harris confirmed that the Irish Defence Forces are providing helicopters to help ESB Networks restore power.

Taoiseach (Irish prime minister) Micheál Martin said: “The destruction caused by some of the strongest winds on record has been unprecedented.”

A wind speed of 183kmh (114mph) brought by Storm Éowyn was recorded in the Republic of Ireland, the fastest since records began, Irish forecaster Met Éireann said.