Taoiseach and President hail Irish explorers

The Taoiseach and the President have both paid tribute to the team of Irish adventurers that made history by becoming the first all-Irish expedition to reach the South Pole.

Bertie Ahern described their feat as "a wonderful achievement".

Pat Falvey, Clare O'Leary, Jonathan Bradshaw and Shaun Menzies arrived at the southernmost tip of the Earth at around 7.30pm last night.

They began their 1,100-mile trek last November and have since braved sub-zero temperatures and freezing snowstorms.