President Michael D Higgins taken to hospital after feeling unwell

President Michael D Higgins has been taken to a hospital in Dublin after feeling unwell earlier on Thursday.

A medical team attended the Aras an Uachtarain to assess the 82-year-old.

A source confirmed that he was taken to a hospital but that it was as a precaution following advice from the paramedics who assessed him at his official residence in the Phoenix Park.

In a statement, a spokesman for the president said: “Aras an Uachtarain can confirm that, having felt unwell, President Michael D Higgins was this evening brought to hospital for precautionary tests.

“The president was initially assessed at Aras an Uachtarain where no immediate concerns were identified but a decision was made to proceed to hospital in order to undergo tests, the initial results of which have been positive.

“The president, who will remain in hospital overnight, is in excellent spirits and has thanked the medical staff for the care he has received.”