Irish airspace will be shut until at least lunchtime tomorrow due to the drift south of the volcanic ash cloud from Iceland, the Irish Aviation Authority has said.

Irish airports have been closed until 1pm and the IAA said it will provide an update at 9am. Intending passengers are advised to check the websites of their airlines for further information.

The IAA said the decision was based on information from the Volcanic Ash Advice Centre that the concentration of ash particles in the atmosphere had exceeded engine manufactures’ tolerance levels.

Eamon Brennan, IAA chief executive, said Ireland was the only country in which flight restrictions had been imposed and followed the pushing of volcanic ash over part of the centre of Ireland by north easterly winds.

"The decision is based on the safety risks to crews and passengers as a result of the drift south of the volcanic ash cloud," the IAA said in a statement.

Donegal Airport closed earlier and two Aer Arann flights were cancelled.

Over-flights of Ireland from the UK and Europe will not be impacted, the IAA said, adding flights in mainland Europe will operate normally.

Travellers suffered six days of disruption last month after the plume of volcanic ash from Iceland's Eyjafjallajökull volcano caused massive disruption to air traffic across Europe.

The cloud of ash forced the cancellation of over 60,000 flights in that period and left passengers stranded across the world.