Two men had to be rescued from their car high in the Wicklow mountains as snow gripped parts of Ireland on Wednesday.

A week after record high temperatures for March, temperatures plummeted across the country.

The good weather is expected to return in time for the Easter holiday weekend but snow was still visible on the Dublin and Wicklow mountains on Wednesday morning.

Rescuers struggled to reach the two men when they were forced to abandon their car on Sally Gap road near Roundwood.

Motorists had been warned to avoid the area due to snow.

As gale force winds and rain spread across the country, sleet and snow left road conditions dangerous in many parts of Leinster.

The two young men were rescued in the early hours of the morning after attempting to cross the Sally Gap in a small hatchback car.

“They had become stuck near the crossroads and fearing for their safety, they had contacted emergency services to assist them,” the mountain rescue service said in a statement to the Irish Times.

“As their exact location was unknown, experienced drivers from both teams used specially adapted 4x4 vehicles to access the Sally Gap approach roads in treacherous conditions.”

The paper reports that the men were located at about 5am between Pier Gates and the Sally Gap crossroads, They were assessed by mountain rescue medical personnel and brought to safety in a mountain rescue vehicle.

Some ferry sailings to Britain were cancelled as a result of the change in weather.