The Mayor of Fingal has said that water charge protestors prevented her from visiting her sick daughter in hospital by stopping her from leaving a council meeting for more than an hour.

VETERAN politician and Progressive Democrats co-founder Mairín Quill insisted last night that she will retire from politics next year.

THE Standards in Public Office Commission (SIPO) referred 13 files to gardaí for alleged contraventions of the electoral acts, including files relating to former Clare TD and senator, Madeleine Taylor Quinn.