Council workers and contractors who have been clearing snow and gritting roads for a number of days in Co Wicklow have appealed to people to be sensible about visiting snow covered areas in the coming days.

Paddy Kenny, who is a contractor for Wicklow County Council, cleared fallen trees and several centimetres of snow from mountain roads in the Trooperstown area of the county this afternoon.

Following behind him was Brian Gaffney of Wicklow County Council who was gritting the roads before the coldest night of the current cold snap set in.

While RTÉ News was filming them at work, Mr Gaffney received a call requesting that a road towards a home was cleared because the woman who lives there is expecting a baby.

He said it was an example of the needs that are being met by workers on the frontline of the freezing weather in recent days.

Mr Kenny, who has been clearing snow from the Wicklow Mountains since 1978, said while this is not the worst snow he has experienced, conditions are difficult.

"It's bad enough. I suppose it's dragging on a little bit. The frost is a big problem. You clean the roads but you still have to deal with it afterwards with the grit."

"Every road is different. The priority would be to get people out on the road. There's places very treacherous. When you get into the hills it's a different job.

"Snow always falls heavy around this end and the further you go up the higher it is. Every day is a different day and you meet different things."

Mr Kenny also appealed to people not to visit mountain areas unnecessarily

"People can be very silly. When they see a road open they thing they can fly on but that's not the case. They get stuck and then they're expecting people to go and get them off it which is not fair because Mountain Rescue has to go to them or ourselves and they give hardship to everyone and no need for it.

"Just be sensible and don't go places where you shouldn't go," he added.

Temperatures of -4C recorded across Donegal roads

Donegal County Council's Director of Roads and Transportation Bryan Cannon said road temperatures of -4C have been recorded at various locations around the county.

"The public should be advised that road surface temperatures will generally be lower than the air temperature displayed by their car," Mr Cannon said.

Around 1,140km of public roads across 21 designated routes in Donegal have been gritted daily during the cold snap.

Outdoor crews are dealing on a priority basis with local issues on sections of public road that are not on the Council's gritting programme.

Mr Cannon said gritted roads in general are passable with care. He added, however, that gritting is less effective in some areas where gritted roads have had low traffic volumes.

"The public is asked to assume that no road is ice-free even if it has been gritted as local conditions can lead to areas of ice forming on the road," he said.

The current spell of wintry conditions is expected to last until Friday.

Mr Cannon said: "There is the potential for wintry showers across the northwest this evening and when that lands on a very cold road surface it will freeze".

He said there is also the potential for freezing fog over the next few days which will present "another hazard to the travelling public".

Council crews have replenished local grit stockpiles for the public to use on untreated public roads.

Freezing temperatures and treacherous roads lead to more school closures

Dozens of schools in Longford and around Mullingar are closed due to the freezing temperatures.

Some schools made the decision last night to close today, while other schools informed parents early this morning.

Challenging road conditions in the northwest have led to travel disruptions on local bus services as well as the closure and delayed opening of some schools.

Some pre-schools, national schools and post-primary schools are closed in Co Donegal.

Closures have been reported in areas including Raphoe, Letterkenny, Buncrana, Drumkeen, Kilmacrennan, Glenswilly, Ballindrait, Ramelton, Moville, Carndonagh, Maghery, Drumfries and Milford.

Several schools are closed in Manorhamilton, Drumkeerin, Drumshanbo, Dromahair, Mohill and Carrick-on-Shannon in Co Leitrim.

School closures have also been reported in the Riverstown area and Ballymote in Co Sligo.

TFI Local Link services are going ahead, however travellers are advised to expect delays. Several routes are not serving areas where road conditions are challenging.

All TFI Local Link door-to-door transport for passengers attending HSE day services and Local Link Demand Responsive Services will not operate today and tomorrow in counties Sligo and Leitrim due to unsafe conditions.

Local authorities across the region have been treating main roads since early this morning. There are reports of black ice and challenging travelling conditions on many rural roads within the region.

Galway and Mayo increase 'salt spread rate' on roads

There has been an extensive effort to treat national primary routes across Galway and Mayo, which has lessened the impact of low road temperatures on motorists.

There are no reports of any problems on the main arteries through both counties, although road users are being advised to exercise caution given the possibility of patches of black ice in some areas.

Galway City and County Council crews, along with their counterparts in Co Mayo, spent much of last night spreading grit on roads across the region in anticipation of the forecasted extreme cold conditions.

As part of the City Council's Winter Service Plan, the volume of salt being spread on routes is increased when temperatures are expected to go below minus two degrees Celsius. The 'salt spread rate’ was doubled last night and has somewhat countered the impact of the freezing conditions.

However, gardaí said more care is required on back roads, particularly those on higher ground, where there is an increased possibility of icy stretches and untreated surfaces.

Schools are, for the most part, open as normal, but many have opted to start classes later than usual, given the uncertainty about the impact icy conditions might have on transport.

Severe Weather Assessment Teams in local authorities continue to monitor the situation, with low temperatures predicted for the rest of the week.

The COPE Galway charity has extended the cold weather response initiative it operates for the City Council in order to assist those who are homeless this week.

Its day centre in the Westside area is also open through the day to ensure that there is shelter available outside the usual nighttime operating hours.

Additional reporting by Shane Ó Curraighín and Pat McGrath