Ireland follows Australia as the second country globally to legislate for the plain packaging of tobacco products.

Dr Reilly said while many arguments will be made against the move, he is confident the legislation will be enacted early next year and supported purely by the fact that it will save lives.

Under the reform, cigarette boxes in Ireland will be a generic size and colour, and will only feature the brand name on the bottom and a large picture showing the harmful effects of cigarettes, like rotting lungs. To read more about this article click here.