A search is under way after a prisoner escaped from custody in Dublin.

The Irish Prison Service confirmed that the prisoner escaped while under escort to Tallaght Hospital on Saturday morning.

Gardai were notified immediately and provided with the prisoner’s details.

An Garda Siochana said he had absconded while receiving medical attention in the early hours of the morning.

The man, aged in his 40s, remains at large.

The Irish Prison Service is currently investigating the circumstances of the escape.