With up to a quarter of a million people potentially affected by the nurses' dispute, someone is “going to fall through the cracks”, patient advocate, Stephen McMahon has warned.

For most workers and businesses across the economy, the pain endured during the economic and financial crash was severe, writes Jim Power.

Some nurses would get pay increases of 40% next year if the government gave in to their demands.

The Taoiseach has been accused of disrespecting nurses and patients by issuing "cynical" press releases instead of directly engaging with unions.

The ratcheting up of pressure on the Health Minister Simon Harris continues as nurses return in force to the picket line today and criticism of the runaway costs of the new children’s hospital continues.

Health Minister Simon Harris has said revised terms inquiring into the spiralling costs for the National Children’s Hospital will include any recommendations on how to reduce the final bill.

INMO branch chief says strike ‘shows things haven’t changed much’ since 1999 dispute, writes Tia Clarke.

The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) has accused the Government of a “cynical” attempt to break their strike action after two ministers urged nurses to meet for fresh talks — on any issue except pay.

A ‘productivity award’ independent and in addition to the ‘wage award’ in public sector pay talks could offer a means of resolving the current row, writes Anthony Leddin.

Belief, as a rejuvenated England showed in Dublin on Saturday, can be an overwhelming force.

More than 30,000 nurses took to picket lines last week.

Latest: The INMO Executive Council is meeting tomorrow to discuss further industrial action on top of the five days already announced.

A health systems expert says that the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) needs to clarify what exactly they are looking for, and that the Department of Health is “actively misleading” the public with the figures it is publishing on nursing pay rates.

Update 10.15am: 6,000 members of the Psychiatric Nurses Association (PNA) will refuse to work overtime today and tomorrow in their dispute over pay and staffing.

Latest: Patients who have had their medical appointments cancelled today are being urged not to make contact with hospitals to reschedule.

Any escalation of the nurses’ strike could compromise patient safety, the head of medicine at one of the country’s busiest hospitals has warned.

Teas, coffees, soup, even a bunch of flowers from a supportive member of the public - nurses on the picket line were at the receiving end of the TLC they’re more used to doling out.

A young nurse who graduated less than two years ago has seen ten of her classmates emigrate to Australia in the last month.

There has been a sharp drop in support for Fianna Fáil in the latest political opinion poll.

Hospitals across the country are facing major disruption after talks to avert a strike by over 40,000 nurses ended without agreement last night.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has been inundated with letters from furious nurses and hospital staff and their families over his call for holiday leave to be postponed.

Safety planning by the HSE and the nurses' unions will continue right up to next Wednesday's 24-hour strike by nurses and midwives.

An image of Irish nurses in Australia standing in solidarity with their colleagues in Ireland has gained a lot of attention on social media.

Minimal headway was made at a meeting between health service management and nursing unions ahead of planned strike action over pay and staff shortages.

The INMO and the PNA are planning industrial action over pay and staffing levels.

The HSE has been given a final chance to stave off strikes across hospitals over nursing staff and patient care.

Nurses are to meet with the Department of Health and the HSE today in a bid to avert planned strike action.

SIPTU nursing and support staff members in Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda, Co Louth, are to ballot on industrial action, it was confirmed today.

Talks aimed at averting a nurses strike next week are due to get underway immediately.

The executive council of the INMO will meet this morning to discuss planned strike action at seven hospitals next week.

The HSE has said that contingency plans are in place for an expected strike by nurses next week.