Campaigners in Waterford have said residents are still angry over the Taoiseach’s comments about the mortuary at the county’s hospital.
Pathologists at the hospital have twice warned that bodies are being allowed to decompose on trolleys and on the mortuary floor due to a lack of capacity.
Leo Varadkar yesterday refused to apologise over the comment – but said he regret if his tone suggested he was discouraging whistleblowers in the health service.
Organisers of a protest in Waterford city this lunchtime have said the Taoiseach’s row-back does not go far enough – and resident support the pathologists’ decision to come forward.
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Gardaí are concerned for the welfare of an 18-month-old girl who is missing in Dublin.
Shania Constantin is in the care of her 36-year-old grandfather, Condrut Iosca, who lives in Blanchardstown.
The pair were last seen when Mr Iosca drove away from North Circular Road in Phibsborough on Thursday afternoon.
Investigators said they are concerned for Shania and have urged anyone who can help find her to come forward.
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The Justice Minister has insisted those responsible for the rise in violent crime in Drogheda will be "relentlessly pursued" by Gardaí.
There have been at least 74 serious crime incidents in the Louth town in the last six months – including a spate of petrol bomb attacks and an attempted murder last week.
The crime spree is being linked to a feud between two gangs fighting for control of the drug trade in the area.
Residents are due to take part in an 'anti-gangs' rally is due to take place in the town this afternoon.
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Counting has resumed in Northern Ireland’s local elections this morning.
As things stand, the DUP and Sinn Fein are holding their positions as the two largest parties.
Meanwhile, the UUP and SDLP both climbed back from a slow start yesterday to each claim dozens of seats.
The story of the day yesterday came from the Antrim and Newtownabbey constituency, where the DUP – a party that vetoed same-sex marriage – had its first openly gay councillor elected.
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Twenty-one people have been taken to hospital after a plane skidded off a runway and into a river while attempting to land during a thunderstorm.
The Boeing 737 jet was arriving in to Jacksonville, Florida from Guantanamo Bay in Cuba.
The aircraft was carrying 136 passengers and seven crew when it skidded off the runaway and came to rest in shallow water.
It was not submerged and the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office, which sent a marine unit to help in the rescue, said everyone survived the crash and escaped safely.
