GRA General Secretary Pat Ennis said the appointment of a civilian to the organisation was "an historic moment".

TDs and senators from across the political divide have taken a trip aboard the blood bus to highlight the importance of donating blood.

University Hospital Limerick has said it is transferring patients to hospitals in Clare and Tipperary because of a spike in patients attending the Emergency Department.

Some 359 people are waiting for treatment at the country's hospitals this evening.

NURSES at the Mid-Western Regional Hospital in Limerick yesterday staged a third walkout over what they claimed were dangerously overcrowded conditions in the emergency department (ED) as a union leader insisted they were not for turning on the issue.