Some 80 children studying at Colaiste Mhuire Loch an Iuir in an Irish- speaking area of Donegal were referred to a GP and 11 were eventually diagnosed with the virus. The course was due to run for three weeks until August 20, but all 300 pupils were sent home for one week from August 8.

The mother of a Belfast pupil with swine flu told the BBC: “The children were frightened, but I think they were more upset that they had to go home. They look forward to (the school) every year and they had to go home.”

”(But) I wanted to reassure people that swine flu, if properly managed, is not as bad as people think,” she said.

Irish health authorities said that the affected students had a mild strain of the swine flu virus and that they are monitoring the situation.