The Taoiseach has called on all businesses, schools and colleges to close tomorrow for a national day of mourning to reflect Ireland's "special relationship" with the United States.
The Dβil will be recalled next Tuesday, extra staff are being sent to Irish consulates in the US, and expert Irish assistance has been offered after the Cabinet considered yesterday how to respond to the attacks in New York and Washington which killed thousands of people.
Mr Ahern postponed his planned two-day visit to the Czech Republic and will attend an ecumenical service in the Pro-Cathederal at 11 a.m. tomorrow.
Expressing sympathy and solidarity, the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, yesterday stressed the importance of "a thought-out response" from the US and the world to the attacks.
Ireland would be chairing the UN Security Council from October 1st and would "play our role as best we can".
Mr Ahern was speaking to reporters at Government Buildings yesterday after he and almost all Cabinet members returned from the US embassy where they signed the book of condolences after the President, Mrs McAleese, had done so.
The Fine Gael and Labour leaders, Mr Michael Noonan and Mr Ruair∅ Quinn also visited the embassy yesterday afternoon to sign the book of condolences.
Mr Ahern described the US as having been "truly the guardian of civil liberties and human rights" in the world in the past. "In this task they got themselves embroiled in many conflicts in many parts of the world."
Announcing the day of mourning, he said Ireland had a special relationship with the US, where 44 million people declared themselves to be of Irish origin.
"The Government felt, arising out of these terrible events . . . that we should have a national day of mourning.
"I would ask all businesses, schools and colleges to close that day and people to make all efforts to attend their religious services. I would ask all citizens of the Republic to observe the day of mourning in solidarity with all the citizens who have lost their lives in the terrible events of yesterday," said Mr Ahern.
The Tβnaiste, Ms Harney, said Government offices would close, employees would be entitled to a day off, and emergency service workers would be entitled to pay in lieu of a day off. Asked if places of public entertainment could open, she said they could do so legally.
However, "we would hope that everybody would respect the spirit of the order".
It was thought that the special Dβil session might have to take place in the Seanad chamber to facilitate the refurbishment of the Dβil chamber, but it was confirmed last night it would be available for the recall.
Additional Irish diplomats are being sent to consulates in the US to help to deal with queries from anxious relatives of Irish people unaccounted for, and to trace Irish people reported missing.
The Government has also offered to provide Irish people to assist in the aftermath. Such personnel include the fire service, electricity service and engineers.
The Taoiseach expressed his sympathy to the family of Ms Ruth Clifford McCourt and her four-year-old daughter Juliana, the first known Irish victims of the attacks. He said he believed further Irish casualties were "inevitable".
"I think I can only express poorly what everybody feels. This has been an awful tragedy, a tragedy of a degree that you have to go back a long long way in world history to see anything as bad," he said.