Michael D Higgins returns to Áras after hospital stay

President Michael Higgins travelled to St James's Hospital in Dublin on Sunday

Irish President Michael D Higgins has returned to Áras an Uachtaráin, the president's official residence, following a stay in hospital to have a localised infection examined.

President Higgins travelled to St James's Hospital in Dublin by arrangement on Sunday.

In a statement on Tuesday, a spokesperson said the president "subsequently received a course of antibiotics which have successfully treated the issue".

"President Higgins would like to express his thanks to the medical staff who treated him, and to all those members of the public who sent their best wishes to him over the course of his brief stay in hospital," the statement added.

Higgins will remain in office until Catherine Connolly's inauguration in Dublin Castle on 11 November.

He had congratulated his successor after her landslide election win at the weekend.

The independent TD (member of Irish parliament) secured 914,143 first preference votes (63%) - a record in Irish presidential election history.

However, politicians have said the unprecedented number of 213,738 spoiled votes needs to be addressed.

Connolly was officially declared as the elected 10th president of the Republic of Ireland on Saturday evening at Dublin Castle, after defeating Fine Gael's Heather Humphreys.