THE DÁIL unanimously passed a motion condemning the murder of PSNI officer Ronan Kerr.

It read: “That Dáil Éireann unequivocally condemns the murder of PSNI officer Ronan Kerr in Omagh, abhors this crime and resolves to ensure that those responsible are brought to justice.”

It extended sympathy to his family, friends and colleagues, and asserted that those responsible for “this cowardly atrocity” had no mandate and did not act in the name of the Irish people.

The motion pledged the Dáil’s steadfast support for the PSNI and the Garda in their efforts to overcome the scourge of terrorism.

It pledged co-operation with the British government, the First Minister and Deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland, the members of the Northern Ireland Executive and Assembly, democratic representatives and all the people of the island, and friends of Ireland throughout the world, to oppose any violent attempts to undermine the peace process. The motion reaffirmed “the right of the Irish people, North and South, to live together in peace and harmony as democratically expressed in the Good Friday Agreement”.

Joe Higgins (Socialist Party) noted he had not been in the House on Tuesday, when the murder had also been condemned. Describing the killing as “brutal”, Mr Higgins said the ordinary people of Omagh and the North must “stand united against this atrocity and those who would drag society back to sectarian conflict”.