The exterior of the Tralee Sports Complex in Co Kerry prior to the January 6 roof collapse.Tralee Regional Sports & Leisure Centre, Facebook

Emergency services were called to the Tralee Sports Complex at about 7 am on Monday following the collapse of the roof of the Sports Hall, the complex said on social media.

“The building, which was closed at the time, was secured by the emergency services and the building and grounds have been closed to the public. 

“It is intended to carry out an assessment of the building to determine the next steps.”

Virgin Media News shared this footage of the collapsed roof at the Tralee Sports Complex:

Gerard McDonnell, assistant manager of the Tralee Sports Complex, told The Kerryman newspaper: "It happened early this morning, well before anyone would have been in the building, so thank God there was no one in there. There are small blessings about when it happened, although not that it happened. The fact that no one was injured is such a huge relief.

"Obviously we can't say for definite what caused it until we hear back from structural engineers but I would imagine that it would be something to do with the amount of the snow that fell, as well as the age of the roof too, possibly.”

McDonnell said it is unclear when the Tralee Sports Complex will be able to reopen.

“There are a lot of things that need to be done, an investigation needs to take place," he told The Kerryman. "We will see if we can look at opening parts of the building but we may have to wait until the whole job is done. There's a whole lot of different situations to address and see what happens next."

He added: "There’s a good few staff here and it's a tough situation all around for them. There are the full-timers and we also have a lot of part-time staff as well, some of whom are students trying to put themselves through college. It's a worrying time for everyone. For the community in general too, it's a huge loss."

Opened in 1976, the Tralee Sports Complex serves local schools and the community and sees 350,000 visits a year. It boasts two pools, a fitness center, a sports hall, court areas, and astroturf pitches.

Last spring, Kerry County Council hosted a consultation period regarding proposed developments for the complex.

The Irish Examiner shared this footage from inside the damaged Tralee Sports Complex on Monday:

@irishexaminer Tralee Sports Complex, the home of basketball Superleague side Garvey's Warriors, will be “closed indefinitely” after its roof collapsed amid heavy snowfall in the town. The weight of the snow brought the roof down early on Monday morning. #Sneactha #Snow #Tralee #Kerry #Ireland ♬ original sound - Irish Examiner

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The roof collapse comes as Ireland remains under winter weather warnings.

Kerry County Council posted updates on social media on Sunday as snow blanketed areas throughout the county.

On Monday, Ireland's Minister for Education Norma Foley told RTÉ's Morning Ireland: "In my own home county [of Kerry], there has been unprecedented levels of snowfall.

"I have never, ever actually seen the level of snowfall we've experienced in Kerry and I know that's similar in other counties, neighboring counties like Limerick and Cork."

Padraig Corkery, spokesman for Kerry County Council, separately told RTÉ's Morning Ireland on Monday that the "whole of the county really was impacted yesterday [Sunday].

"Unprecedented levels of snow - far higher, I suppose, than had been predicted.

"All of our crews were deployed, machinery resources were out, and priority was trying to keep the main roads clear, but given the level of snow during the day it was a real challenge."

He said on Monday that conditions on some roads continue to be "very, very treacherous" and appealed to people to avoid driving unless their trip is "absolutely essential."

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A Status Yellow snow-ice warning is in place for all of Ireland through noon on Tuesday, while a Status Yellow low temperature / ice warning is also in place for the entire country through midnight on Friday.

“This prolonged cold spell will bring very hazardous conditions over the next few days with no real opportunity for melt of significant lying snow," Met Éireann’s Deputy Head of Forecasting Liz Coleman said on Sunday.

"Given there has been a lot of snow over the weekend, as well as rain which has now frozen, there will be really dangerous conditions on the roads. The icy conditions will be particularly impactful for some road users, such as cyclists and motorcyclists, so alternative travel should be considered if possible.” 

Warning of slippery footpaths and tricky conditions, Coleman added: "We’d ask the public give extra time for any travel that they have to make.”