Minister of state Seán Sherlock has insisted he never stood in the way of a now former Labour Party county councillor becoming his running mate on the general election ticket.

A former Labour Party stalwart in Co Cork is expected to announce within days that he will join Fine Gael and run as a candidate for that party in the next general election.

Noel McCarthy has had to learn to accept his blindness, but his parents were determined he should be told what caused it.

A blind 13-year-old boy who sued over an alleged delay in operating on him when he had a potentially blinding eye disorder at birth, has settled his damages action for €3.2m.