Taoiseach Bertie Ahern expressed his delight yesterday after his daughter Georgina gave birth to his first two grandchildren at the National Maternity Hospital in Holles Street, Dublin.
Georgina and her husband Nicky Byrne of Westlife welcomed their twin sons, Rocco and Jay, who were two months premature, into the world just before 10am. The couple issued a statement expressing their joy that the baby boys were safe and thanked "Professor [ Fionnuala] McAuliffe and all the wonderful staff" at the hospital.
In Dunboyne, Co Meath, yesterday Mr Ahern said he was "delighted" for the new parents. They were "a great couple" and though they spent "most of the year away" they made a particular effort to keep in touch with him, he said.
He had been speaking to Georgina who was "in good form, obviously a little bit under the weather". He hoped to visit her last night or this morning.
Jay is an abbreviation of James while Rocco is the Italian form of the name of St Roch, born in Montpellier, France, in 1295. He is patron saint of dogs, dog lovers and invalids, and is venerated as a protector against knee problems, epidemics, plague /pestilence and all contagious diseases.
A St Rocco procession is featured in The Godfather - Part II. It has been said that in Poland he is prayed to in order to ward off vampire attacks.
Georgina and Nicky were married at Wicklow Register Office in August 2003.
Their union was blessed four days later at the church of St Pierre et St Paul in Gallardon, Eure-et-Loir, France.