Born in Drum, Athlone, in June 1973, Denis Naughten grew up in a staunch Fine Gael house.

Plans will be unveiled today for over 100 new homes which will be built on Cork’s northside as part of one of the largest housing regeneration projects in the country.

Drawn by the sunshine, huge crowds descended on Killarney for its St Patrick’s Day parade where the green of the traffic lights had been turned into shamrocks and the buildings had been turned green overnight.