Taoiseach celebrates anniversary of smoking ban

TAOISEACH Bertie Ahern yesterday presented a birthday cake to a baby born on the day the smoking ban was introduced, to celebrate the law’s first anniversary.

John Madigan was presented with a special birthday cake and helped the Taoiseach plant a horse chestnut in St Stephen's Green, Dublin, to commemorate a year of the workplace smoking ban.

At the ceremony, Mr Ahern said: "It's clear that the ban on smoking in the workplace will have a positive effect, not only on our national health but also on the function of our health service both now and into the future.