Health safety measures not a gimmick

There was a distinctive upbeat atmosphere at the Fianna Fáil árd fheis in Killarney over the weekend.

It was the first time that the party ventured outside Dublin for its annual gathering, and party officials seemed particularly buoyant at the outcome.

The party has been under intense pressure in recent months, following the highly publicised tax difficulties of one deputy and the drink driving allegations made against another following an accident in which a woman pedestrian was seriously injured.