The National Lottery celebrates its 30th birthday this week and in that time has created more than 800 millionaires and donated almost €5 billion to charitable causes.

A West Cork nursing home that closed in the summer had failed to notify the Health Information and Quality Authority of its existence, it has emerged.

As the last elderly patient moved out of a West Cork nursing home this week, its voluntary board insisted it was left with no choice but to close the facility.

A health watchdog maintains it is not responsible for the imminent closure of a community nursing home in Co Cork, despite being accused of “putting a gun to the head” of its voluntary board and “treating nine elderly patients cruelly”.