Denis Naughten (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Independent) | Oireachtas source

On behalf of the others group in the House I also want to extend my sympathy and that of my colleagues to the family of Larry and Martina Hayes, to Lorna Carty, Joel Richards and his uncle and grandfather and the British citizens who were also killed. All of us were numb when we heard the reports coming through of the tragedy in Tunisia on Friday. They were people who went on their holidays, who were planning to come home with stories of fun, stories of new friends they had met on holidays and perhaps plans to meet with them again 12 months later in Tunisia. Instead of that, we had stories of horror and we now await the return of their mortal remains to this country. The Hayes and Kelly families are well known and well respected in Athlone and south Roscommon. We have seen the tragic atrocities that have taken place involving ISIS in other parts of Europe and throughout the world but we would never have expected that it would come to our own local communities. I reiterate and reverberate the sympathy that has been expressed here today to Sinead Hayes and the relatives of the other families that have had their lives torn apart. I acknowledge the assistance of ambassador Cooney, the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Deputy Charles Flanagan, and his officials in helping the families through this very difficult time. I hope we can all agree to work here in this House and in other parliaments across Europe to ensure we can take the necessary steps to try to limit and, hopefully, eradicate this particular terrorist organisation that has sadly come to this country and to our communities.

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