Ireland AM host Ciara Doherty's husband Richard Stearn has expressed strong admiration for Irish nurses after welcoming their first child.

Presenter and reporter Ciara Doherty from Letterkenny gave birth to a healthy baby girl, weighing 7lbs, in National Maternity Hospital on Monday.

Experiencing the birth of their first child during a health crisis led Richard to acknowledge the extent of work and conditions that nurses face daily in hospitals across Ireland.

Richard Stearn and Ciara Doherty tied the knot in 2017

Richard, who is a TV3 producer and director, took to Twitter to commend striking nurses and said:

“My baby daughter was born yesterday at the National Maternity Hospital. Staff here are incredible but I couldn’t get over how many jobs they did from cleaning, councilling. There was one nurse dedicated to our ante ward with others conditions here are so tough for staff.

“Nurses & midwives are striking because they care above all about the care of their patients. We are losing all our nurses and midwives overseas because of conditions here and because they can not afford to live, rent or settle here.

“One nurse told me “I won’t benefit financially if we win this strike – but if it means I work with more nurses in the ward to help me here then it’s less of a strain & better for patients. The shift was 13 hours straight.”

Richard paid tribute to the efforts of all nurses and offered solidarity to INMO members, saying:

“Every nurse and midwife I spoke to feared they won’t win. They know they’re up against it. They deserve better. So do their patients. My daughter spent her first day listening to the protests and loud chants of the amazing women who helped bring her into the world.

“I can’t think of a better example of sisterhood & solidarity than that. I hope she grows up to be like them.