Fianna Fáil leader Micheal Martin has described as “ridiculous” the defence given by Communications Minister Denis Naughten when he said his call with a lobbyist for Independent News and Media (INM) was “personal”.

Martha Hunt, a woman from the US on holiday in Ireland, came into more than a spot of bother whilst in Dublin.

There were a number of times in our recent history when we could stand up tall and say we were proud to be Irish - and today's events just jumped straight to the top of that list.

The Taoiseach travels to New York tonight in the Government's latest attempt to show that Ireland is open for business.