Any attempt to injure or to murder somebody was “an attack on the State, it is an attack on democracy, and it is an attack on humanity”,

said Taoiseach Enda Kenny.

He said in the Dáil: “I condemn unreservedly the attempt to murder Francis McCabe.”

Mr McCabe was seriously injured in South Armagh last week when a booby-trap bomb was left close to the home of his father, local Sinn Féin leader Francis McCabe (snr).

Mr Kenny also pledged the Government would ensure resources were made available to the Garda “and that it continues to have full co-operation, as it does, with the PSNI in the pursuit of criminal activities of any description, but most particularly in pursuit of those involved in the most serious crime, which is the murder or attempted murder of any individual”.

He was responding to Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams, who said that following threats to republican families in South Armagh, the booby-trap bomb was planted close to the McCabe's home.

Mr Adams said Mr McCabe jnr’s only offence was that he was “from a republican family and is a good, decent, hard-working man and a good neighbour”.

Border areas

The Louth TD said the issues in the North, and particularly in Border areas, were “generally seized upon by some politicians here to attack Sinn Féin”. In this instance they were very quiet, but this incident was an attempt to kill and an attack on the peace process.

Mr Adams told the Dáil that "those involved are a small number of criminals who are responsible over the years for the killing of volunteer Keith Rogers, the beating to death of Paul Quinn, the murder of Garda Adrian Donohoe and the wounding of Michael Bellew recently. They have also threatened the lives of Conor Murphy MP and another republican family, the Carraghers."

Mr Kenny said there was a very high level of co-operation between the Garda and the PSNI, and they had done “exhaustive work” in dealing with “these terrible atrocities”.