Life has become 'very cheap' Taoiseach tells Dáil

Life has become very cheap indeed, Taoiseach Enda Kenny said today in response to two gangland-style shootings in one day.

“I might say that in respect of the brutal murders in front of children, on the streets of this city and in the country, as has been described….this is absolutely brutal treatment by people who have ordered the destruction and assassination and the murder of people in public," he said.

Mr Kenny told the Dáil this afternoon the murders were reprehensible in the Ireland of 2012. He added that the Minister for Justice and the Garda Commissioner would apply themselves with whatever resources were necessary and bring those responsible to justice.

Minister for Justice Alan Shatter said the gardaí will "continue to target and bear down heavily" on those involved in gangland crime.

Mr Shatter said the killings, which he described as "barbaric" illustrate that the perpetrators have no respect for human life.

The murder of Declan O'Reilly on the South Circular Road in Dublin last night came less than 12 hours after Dubliner Gerard Eglington (27) was shot dead at his home in the Kilnacourt Woods estate in Portarlington, Co Laois.

"The callousness of their actions shows that the perpetrators lack even a shred of humanity or decency", Mr Shatter said in a statement. The Minister said gardaí are "absolutely determined" to bring those who are responsible to justice.

“At the same time, I know from my discussions with the Garda Commissioner that the gardaí will continue to target and bear down heavily on the activities of those involved in gangland crime,” he added.

“That is clear from the series of recent operations they have launched against gangs and the many drug seizures that have taken place in recent weeks.” He said he and the Government would continue to support gardaí in their fight against “this evil menace” of society.

Deputy Garda Commissioner Nacie Rice today condemned the recent gangland-style murders and said resources would not be a problem to gardaí as they worked to bring the killers to justice.

Mr Rice said gardaí did not see these as "gangland killings" but treated every murder as an investigation. "It's terrible when it happens and I have to condemn all the killings over the last couple of days, the barbarity, the cruelty, it knows no bounds for some people," he said. "We as an organisation are determined to bring the perpetrators to justice."

He said it was "quite obvious that there's a very, very small number of people who are so ruthless they have no concern for the rule of law, less concern for children or for anyone else around them".

He also appealed for the public's help in bringing the killers to justice. "Let there be no doubt that we have the resources. Each of these killings has been assigned an investigation team of detectives, gardai and specialists and no resources ever have been or ever will be spared in terms of solving these very horrific crimes."