“Mom is asleep and she won’t wake up,” said a nine-year-old boy who had tried to rouse his mother as she sat, seemingly asleep, on the couch in their sitting room.

A young mother of four who died after accidentally overdosing on painkillers had changed a handwritten prescription from her GP to secure a larger quantity of one of her regular medications.

Residents in a Cork Harbour town have criticised plans to close roads in the area for 40 working days to facilitate works by Irish Water.

The final cost of the Mahon Tribunal could top €250m and see lawyers and witnesses claim fees for years to come.