A group of American students on their way to Ireland to partake in a study-abroad programme have had their plans cancelled mid-journey due to the coronavirus epidemic.

A former director of the US Secret Service, who worked in the protection detail for three presidents, has said he is “troubled” by what he sees in the service today.

Garda Commissioner Nóirín O’Sullivan will deliver the keynote address this morning at the biennial Global Intelligence Forum taking place in Dungarvan.

The Government wants to encourage the development of an expanded campus by an American university which has opened an international centre in Co Waterford, Finance Minister Michael Noonan said.