Christmas special deliveries

NIAMH O'SHEA was expecting to deliver her third child around New Year's Day but her parcel of joy was delivered on Christmas Day instead.

The West Cork mum was getting ready to go to husband Martin's family home at lunchtime when she went into labour. The couple went from home in Eyeries to Castletownbere Community Hospital, where Niamh is a staff nurse: "They transferred me by ambulance to Bantry General, where Rachel was delivered at ten-past- four, just about 10 minutes after we arrived there."

After delivery, the couple and their new arrival were brought by ambulance to the Erinville Hospital in Cork, where Niamh had been due to give birth: "My first two, Emma and Aidan, were more than a week late and I wasn't due until Saturday, so this took us really by surprise. But we're just glad that she is healthy and the staff at the three hospitals have been wonderful to us."