Ireland AM host back after stint off air as but another star completely missing

POPULAR Ireland AM host Muireann O’Connell made her return to screens this morning after a week off air.

The Limerick native has been missing from the usual host line-up since the start of the month as she jetted off to Italy for a sun-soaked holiday.

Today, Muireann was back in the Virgin Media studios alongside Tommy Bowe.

However, fans were quick to spot that regular co-host Alan Hughes was replaced by former Six O’Clock Show host Karen Koster – who had last week filled in for Muireann.

Muireann took to Instagram after the show and joked “Alan tagged out, I tagged back in! Great to be back!”.

The Irish star looked incredible as she donned a striking green sequinned shirt from Cos and a satin black midi skirt from River Island.

She wrote in her caption: “I’ve been looking at this shirt for weeks. Keep picking it up, trying it on, putting it back. You know that way? And you just know it’s gonna end up in the sales. I think I like it.”

The stylish host tied her vibrant look together with some cheetah print stilettos and a gold chain necklace.

She also had her blonde hair down in some loose curls and wore light makeup.

Muireann joked that Karen had a “better tan” than her after she had soaked up the sun for almost two weeks adding that she “slathered herself in the fake stuff” last night.

The host told fans she had “the best craic” on her sun-soaked holiday and joked that she would “never leave”.

She flew out to Puglia in Italy on a romantic-getaway to Italy with her long-term fiance.

Muireann shared some snippets of her trip over on Instagram.

The popular presenter stayed at the luxurious hotel, Castle Elvira, which is located in Trepuzzi in the province of Lecce, over the weekend and told followers it was “the best craic”.

She shared some fabulous clips of the location and gave fans a glimpse into her glamorous trip.

The 42-year-old showed off the magnificent castle-like entrance to the hotel and the large green door to her hotel room that had a golden hand-shaped knob.

PERFECT PARADISE

She then captured the beautiful courtyard gardens outside and showed off the vibrant, modern interior of the hotel room too.

There was colourful tiled floors, abstract art, a grand piano, old antique furniture and spectacular glass doors that opened out onto a balcony.

The bathroom also had a bath made out of stone and a unique curved wall that led into the master bedroom.

In a separate clip, Muireann walked out onto the patio which had an impressive pool and dozens of sunbeds layed out on either side.

The sunbeds were all draped with gorgeous cream canopies and had hammocks beside them.

The Irish host then dipped her toes in the pool and enjoyed a relaxing moment on a rocking chair out in the sun.

The Limerick native then showed some videos of herself having a blast with some guests at the hotel as they played piano and ate delicious food outside in the courtyard.

The TV star couldn’t help but gush about her gorgeous stay at the hotel as she wrote in her caption: “If you wanna go to a hotel where everyone keeps to themselves, this is not the place for you. I loved it! The sunset drinks on the roof, the music you control at the pool, the cats, the bikes, the boules, the sound staff.”

She added: “Bitta sightseeing in Lecce. It was so much busier than the last time we were here. 6 hours parking for €2. Not a clamper in sight. You’ll never leave.”