A family of five have been airlifted to safety during an early morning rescue operation as flood waters surrounded their home.

An 87-year-old woman was among the occupants winched from the property near Gort, Co Galway, at 2.30am on Friday.

Motorists in Galway and Cork have also been warned to postpone all car journeys as rising waters block roads across the counties.

Elsewhere, the Defence Forces deployed 70 soldiers, 10 trucks and a boat to assist councils and local authorities dealing with the effects of flooding around the country.

AA Roadwatch said the River Lee in Cork has burst its banks and that Gardai have closed all roads in and out of the city. A section of the quay wall at Bachelor's Quay has also collapsed. And in nearby Fermoy the Blackwater River has burst its banks with the main bridge and all quays impassable. West Cork is also badly affected by rising waters.

The main Dublin to Galway road has also being closed at Ballinasloe, with the town shut to all traffic.

And about 40 families in Ballinasloe were evacuated from their homes, while business premises were flooded and schools closed.

The Defence Forces said its personnel is operating in Bantry, Clonakilty, Ennis, Clonmel and Ballinasloe, where an estimated 10,000 sandbags have been distributed. A further 175 soldiers and Air Corps helicopters are on standby around the country.

Meanwhile, Iarnrod Eireann warned services between Galway and Athlone have been cancelled, while Bus Eireann services between Dublin and Galway are terminating at Loughrea.

Rail passengers can also expect delays on the Dublin to Cork line and bus transfers are operating between Carrick-on-Shannon and Longford, Limerick and Ennis, and Wicklow and Gorey following a landslide earlier in the week.