A 60-year-old woman has died and her husband is in a serious condition in hospital, after they were stabbed near their home in Cork city last night.

A 25-year old man has been arrested in relation to the incident.

Gardaí and emergency services were called to a house at Shrewsbury Downs in Ballinlough at around 9pm.

They found a woman seriously injured on the street outside. Her husband was also seriously injured.

It is understood that both had been stabbed a number of times.

The woman was taken to Cork University Hospital where doctors worked to save her life, but she was pronounced dead before midnight.

Her husband remains in a serious condition.

The man who was arrested is known to the couple.

He is being detained under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act, under which he can be held for 24 hours.