Josepha Madigan (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

As Minister of State in the Department of Education, my heart goes out to Gaelscoil Choláiste Mhuire. As the Minister, Deputy Foley said, it is an excellent school. NEPS is providing assistance to the school and I hope it particularly provides it to children with additional needs. Something like this is traumatic for all children, but particularly those with additional needs. I hope NEPS is supporting them in that role. I will make sure, along with the Minister, that that happens.

I was in Dublin town on Thursday night. Many colleagues on this side of the House were. It was a menacing atmosphere. I will not say I was satisfied but by the end of the evening and by the time I got home there was some comfort to be taken in the work the Minister, Deputy McEntee, had done with the Commissioner to rally gardaí to react quickly. They did so and managed to dissipate the mob, which was intent on menace and on destroying the reputation of our capital city.

I received messages from Italy and from friends in Vienna who had heard of this. This is not who we are in this country. We are a country of céad míle fáilte. We always have been and will continue to be. We will not as a State or Government allow something like this to deter us from putting in effective policing measures to make sure it never occurs again, in Dublin city or in any town or village throughout the country.

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