A family in Ireland has been informed by police in the Republic that their parents are among the 39 dead in the Tunisian terror massacre.
The Department of Foreign Affairs in Dublin has been in contact with the loved ones of the husband and wife from Co Westmeath in the Irish Midlands, it was confirmed on Saturday night. The couple have been named locally as Laurence (Larry) and Martina Hayes.
Irish foreign minister Charlie Flanagan said: “The process of full and formal identification of victims is continuing in Tunis, and will take a period of time before it is completed. The Irish ambassador and consul are on the ground in Tunisia, working closely with the Tunisian authorities.”
The minister is now advising Irish tourists to exercise caution if travelling to Tunisia.
Flanagan said: “My department’s travel advice for Tunisia, which was changed in the light of the attack, is to exercise extreme caution. While the Tunisian authorities have declared this incident to be over, we would urge Irish citizens in Tunisia to remain vigilant and to follow any instructions given by the police, tour operator, and hotel staff.
“Those wishing to contact my department’s consular support service can continue to do so throughout the rest of the weekend by calling the main telephone line 01 4082000.
“I have condemned in the strongest terms these terrorist attacks. I would like to offer my sincere condolences to the families of all the deceased.
“The ambassador of Ireland accredited to Tunisia, David Cooney, also met EU counterparts in Tunis today to review the situation on the ground. The embassy team will keep me and the government updated through the days ahead.”
Thee family of Lorna Carty, the first Irish citizen confirmed to have been murdered in the atrocity in the resort of Sousse, are said to be distraught over her death. Thee mother of two was on the beach when the gunman opened fire.
The Carty family are stalwarts of their local Gaelic sports club in Robinstown, Co Meath. A spokesman for the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) in Meath said all matches and training between local clubs Dunderry and Kilmessan had been suspended until further notice as a mark of respect to the Carty family.
The murdered woman’s son, Simon, was on the senior panel for Meath Gaelic football squad and played for the county at Under-21 level. He is a science student at University College Dublin, the same institution where several of the students killed in the Berkeley balcony tragedy also attended. His mother had been active in the GAA and a supporter of Dunderry.
