Deputy Tony McCormack: I rise deeply saddened by the horrific murders that occurred in Edenderry on Saturday evening. Two innocent lives were taken - Mary Holt, aged 60, and four-year-old Tadhg Farrell. I wish to pay my respects to Mary and Tadhg. May they both rest in peace and may their memory guide our response through this moment of darkness. I visited the scene and it is something I will never forget. A room recently alive with an excited young heart giddy with the joy of Christmas, toys imagined, stockings planned and innocence undisturbed now stands as a haunting reminder of a future robbed. The silence was heavy. The air felt cold carrying the memory of a terror no child should ever face.

The people of Edenderry are not just grieving, they are angry, heartbroken, traumatised and confused. I firmly believe the true weight of this tragedy will fall most painfully when the town sees a tiny white coffin - heartbreakingly small - carried to its final premature resting place. In that moment, the darkness of what has happened will become real in a way none of us ever wished to witness.

This did not come from nowhere. This is down to drugs and the drugs trade. It is glamorised in music, film, social media and entertainment. It is portrayed as fast money, status, power and designer labels. Hard working people see individuals who have never worked a day in their lives live with the trappings of wealth. They ask themselves, "What am I doing wrong?" Young people see this and believe it is success. However, the truth is not glamour. It is terror, drug debt, threats, children being groomed into criminality. It is soulless, selling misery, addiction and violence for profit. It destroys families, businesses, relationship and hope. It underpins so many of the issues we debate in this Chamber - housing, poverty, mental health, domestic abuse, crime and inequality. The raw reality of that world without filters or fantasy burnt a four-year-old child alive on Saturday. That is the cost; that is the truth.

While nothing can undo this tragedy, we can influence what happens next. I have complete confidence in the gardaí. They will find those responsible. When they do, the full weight of the law must land heavily on them. Justice must be seen, and justice must be felt. However, justice must also mean prevention. It must mean restoring confidence, protecting children and rebuilding peace.

I sincerely acknowledge the work the Minister for justice is doing in his Department in terms of gardaí recruitment. It matters and I thank him for that. However, given what has happened in Edenderry, I ask the Minister to request the Garda Commissioner to examine the establishment of a dedicated task force for Edenderry focused specifically on dismantling drug-driven criminality. I am not directing but I am respectfully asking that it be considered.

People deserve protection in life, not only in law. They deserve peace in their homes and on their streets. They deserve the right to enjoy the simple things like sitting in their own sitting room to watch television without fear. We owe that to Mary and little Tadhg. We owe that to every resident in Edenderry.

Charlie McConalogue, Minister of State at the Department of Culture, Communications and Sport: I thank the Deputy for raising this. On behalf of the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration, I thank him for addressing it on the floor of the Dáil. I join the Minister, Taoiseach and the Deputy in strongly condemning the deliberate callous attack on the house in Edenderry, County Offaly, over the weekend which tragically resulted in the loss of the lives of Mary Holt and young Tadhg Farrell. I join with the Deputy in extending my deepest sympathies to the family and friends of Mary and young Tadhg on this absolutely unacceptable travesty and loss of life. There is no place in a civilised society for such heinous violence.

An Garda Síochána has commenced a murder investigation into all the circumstances surrounding this fatal attack. I join An Garda Síochána in appealing to anyone with information to come forward. The gardaí have given assurances they will relentlessly pursue the violent and dangerous criminals for this murderous attack. They will be brought to justice. I appreciate that this incident will be shocking to people in the community in Edenderry and across the country and may naturally give them pause for concern about their own safety. I reassure them that the gardaí are following a direct line of inquiry and they have a strong record of bringing dangerous and violent criminals to justice.

It has been well reported that gardaí suspect criminals involved in the drugs trade in the midlands may be behind the most heinous act. Tackling the scourge of drug dealing and targeting the work of organised crime groups who inflict intimidation, violence and misery on families and communities across Ireland is a top priority for the Government and An Garda Síochána.

The Deputy mentioned Garda resources. The Government is investing record amounts in An Garda Síochána to ensure the Garda Commissioner has the resources he needs to tackle the illegal drugs trade. A Garda budget of €2.59 billion for next year will fund the recruitment of up to 1,000 new gardaí, 200 more Garda staff and a doubling of the Garda Reserve to over 600 next year. A total of 794 garda recruits entered the Garda College across 2025, the largest intake in a year since 2018. Significant numbers of gardaí have attested from the Garda college throughout this year and as more probationary gardaí attest across 2026, all communities will see a benefit as they are assigned out to their stations.

Ultimately, the Commissioner will make the decision on where Garda resources are assigned but the Minister is assured that a number of factors are taken into account, including crime trends in an area, demographics and local resourcing requirements. I assure Deputy McCormack that in relation to the heinous and murderous act we saw at the weekend that resulted in the tremendously tragic and unacceptable loss of lives, no stone will be left unturned. Every avenue will be explored to make sure that those responsible are brought to justice.

Deputy Tony McCormack: I want to acknowledge the wider trauma surrounding this event. Another woman remains in hospital with serious injuries. Her life has been changed forever and she will need support in ways we cannot measure yet. I also want to acknowledge the first responders, gardaí, paramedics and Offaly fire service officers who entered that scene. They faced what most people could not. They acted with courage and humanity and they deserve recognition and support for the trauma they now carry quietly on behalf of us all. Neighbouring families are shaken. Children in the estate are frightened. Homes that should be now filled with Christmas excitement are instead filled with fear and unanswered questions that no parent should ever have to answer.

Edenderry Garda station does not operate on a 24-hour basis. Edenderry now needs reassurance through action by way of a visible policing presence and strengthened Garda numbers. Criminals do not operate on office hours and safety should not either. I ask that Edenderry Garda station would operate 24 hours a day. Let this tragedy be the moment that confidence is rebuilt in Edenderry, not the moment when we simply mourn or move on.

Deputy Charlie McConalogue: I join Deputy McCormack in extending my thoughts and prayers to the lady who was injured in the attack. I wish her a speedy recovery. Deputy McCormack's point in relation to Garda resources in Edenderry and Offaly is massively important. I understand that at the end of October, there were 399 gardaí assigned to the Laois-Offaly Garda division, a 45% increase on ten years ago. They are also supported by 51 Garda staff who provide really important support to gardaí and free them up to focus on front-line policing duties. Eight probationary gardaí were assigned to the Laois-Offaly Garda division this year and 12 probationers were assigned last year. It is also worth noting that An Garda Síochána operates a divisional model which means that it uses all of the resources within the division, not just the Garda station within a particular community, to respond to local demands on the service it provides.

We can see throughout our communities the damage and devastation that organised drug crime groups heap on society, not least in Deputy McCormack's local community over this past weekend. Tackling the issue of drug-related intimidation is a high priority for An Garda Síochána. Nominated Garda inspectors are available throughout the country through the drug-related intimidation reporting programme to assist victims of intimidation. In addition, the drug-related intimidation and violence engagement, DRIVE, project, which launched earlier this year has established effective systems for assisting those affected by drug-related intimidation. There are over 400 publicly-funded drugs services, including family support services, across the country which can advise and support people affected by drug-related intimidation. Family support services are critical because drug-related violence nearly always becomes an issue for the whole family. There is more information available for anyone who needs support on the [driveproject.ie] website

I thank Deputy McCormack again for raising this today and assure him that the Minister for Justice and Home Affairs and the Garda Commissioner will do everything they can do bring the people responsible to justice.