Paddy Burke (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Before I call the Leader, I wish to express my heartfelt sympathy to the families of those who died in the two appalling incidents at the weekend. The deaths of ten people, five of them young children, at the halting site in Carrickmines in the early hours of Saturday morning was a devastating tragedy for the families and for the close-knit Traveller community to which they belong. Our thoughts and prayers are with all of them and with those who survived the fire but are being treated in hospital.

The murder of Garda Tony Golden in Omeath underlines the dangers members of An Garda Síochána face on a daily basis as they protect our communities. I would like to offer my deepest sympathy to Garda Golden's wife, Nicola, to their three young children, and to their wider family. Our thoughts are also with the members of An Garda Síochána who have lost a colleague and a friend. The loss of Garda Golden, a gentle giant, a proud family man and a credit to the Garda Síochána, will be felt keenly in his native Ballina, County Mayo, where he excelled in hurling with Ballina Stephenites, and among the community on the Cooley Peninsula.

We must remember, too, the young woman who was also shot and is being treated in hospital. We wish her a full recovery. I call the Leader.