Nice attacks: Books of condolence to be opened for victims

A book of condolence for the victims of the Nice terror attack will be opened on Monday at the Mansion House in Dublin.

The book will be open from 10am-4pm on Monday and Tuesday to allow Dubliners express their sympathies and support to the families and friends of those who died.

President Michael D Higgins and his wife Sabina will be the first to sign the book on Monday morning.

The Lord Mayor of Dublin Brendan Carr described the attacks as "incomprehensible. We stand in solidarity with the people of Nice and France during this incredibly difficult time."

A Book of Condolence will be opened at Belfast City Hall on Monday morning. The city hall will be illuminated in the colours of the French flag as a mark of solidarity with the French people.

Vigils will also take place in Dublin, Galway and Limerick on Saturday in memory of the victims of the latest terrorist attack on French soil.

A silent vigil will be held outside the French embassy in Merrion Square, Dublin, on Saturday starting at 7pm.

A solidarity march "Prom to Prom" will be held in Galway on Saturday at midday. The team will be meeting in front of the Eglinton Hotel and walking to Blackrock in Salthill before pausing for a minute's silence.

A vigil will also be held in front of the Alliance Française in Limerick on Pery Square on Saturday at 11am.

Clare County Council has also opened a book of condolence at Áras Contae an Chláir in Ennis in memory of the victims.

Council chairman Cllr Bill Chambers said he wished the French people "strength as they seek to overcome yet another senseless attack but I am confident that the abiding principals of Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité will never be diminished by those who oppose them."

Twinned

Ennis is twinned with the southern French town of Saint-Paul-de-Fenouillet, which is located west of Nice on the Mediterranean coast.

Mayor of Ennis Cllr Ann Norton said she wished to extend her "sympathy and support to the people of Saint-Paul de Fenouillet and France in the face of such a brutal and indiscriminate attack.

“This Book of Condolence affords the people of Ennis and Clare the opportunity to send messages of support to those caught up in this terrible tragedy.”

Members of the public are being invited to sign the book of condolence during opening hours (9am-5pm, Monday to Friday) at the corporate headquarters of Clare County Council, Áras Contae an Chláir, Ennis.

The book is available until Friday, July 22nd, 2016, after which it will be delivered to the French embassy in Dublin.