More than 25,000 of the spoiled votes in the Ireland South ballot were left entirely blank.

A 27-year-old woman with cystic fibrosis (CF) who travelled from Waterford to Cork University Hospital (CUH) for treatment was sent home because there were no beds available — while a 20-bed respiratory ward within the hospital remains closed.

Thousands of people will gather in Kilkenny today to attempt to break the record of the largest number of people to sing in a carol service.