The Tanaiste has blasted online commentators for “essentially inciting hatred” in the aftermath of the stabbing on Parnell Square and in the lead-up to the riots in Dublin.

When asked by the Irish Mirror about recent online comments from MMA Fighter Conor McGregor, Micheal Martin said that many of the comments made by some people online have been “disgraceful”.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said that while the perpetrator of the stabbing in Parnell Square on Thursday was “intent on murder”, the rioters “brought shame on Dublin, brought shame on Ireland and brought shame on their families and themselves”.

Read more: Dublin city centre stabbing latest as five-year-old victim remains in critical condition

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He warned the protestors: “We’re going to get you.” Five people were injured during a stabbing on Parnell Square on Thursday afternoon. This included three children, a woman in her 30s and a man in his 50s. The man is a person of interest in theGardainvestigation.

Following the incident, protestors gathered at the scene but later made their way to the O’Connell Street area. Buses, trams and Garda cars were set on fire, while a number of shops were broken into and looted.

Some 34 persons were arrested throughout Thursday night. Speaking at Dublin Castle, the Tanaiste condemned the protests and said that it was not representative of “who we are as a people”.

The Irish Mirror asked the Tanaiste about comments made by Mr McGregor including a suggestion that “Ireland is at war” and that “you reap what you sow”.

Mr Martin said: “There's been many comments I've watched online of that type, which are absolutely disgraceful. We've a parliamentary democracy, we value that. The Irish people do as well. Isolated voices like that and voices that essentially are inciting hate and a degree to some extent incitement is unacceptable.”

The Irish Mirror also asked Taoiseach Leo Varadkar about McGregor’s comments but he said he did want to comment on individuals.

“I’ve seen that and I’ve seen that preceded it in the preceding weeks We have laws and we're going to need stronger laws. I'm not gonna get into any individual but incitement to hatred, incitement to violence is a reality in our society.

“We need to have the strongest laws possible so that we can hold those who incite hatred and violence to account.”

The Taoiseach strongly condemned the protests in Dublin, saying that people had brought “shame” upon the capital and the country.

He argued that there should be no criticism of the Gardaí for how they handled the protest. “The people who are responsible for crimes are those who commit them,” he said.

“It's not right to be blaming the Gardaí or anybody else. People need to be held responsible for their actions.

“The criminals who carried out the violence in Dublin want to blame other people for their actions. We can't allow them to do that. They're responsible for their actions. There's no excuse for it.

“Whether it's stabbing a child, attacking Gardaí or rioting on our streets. They're individually responsible for their actions. I don't care what their background is. I don't care what their excuses are. I don't care who they are or their apologists blame. We’re going to get them.”

The Taoiseach also provided an update on the three children and their carer who were stabbed on Parnell Square on Thursday.

“Five were injured, two in a critical condition still,” Mr Varadkar confirmed.

“Both the five-year-old girl who was stabbed in the chest and also the care assistant who used her body to shield other children from being injured, they’re both in a critical condition.

“The person who carried out his attack was intent on murder, that is clear. We don’t know their motivations. Gardaí have identified his dwelling, have his computers, have his phone and will be able to assess that in the coming days.

“I don't want to speculate on motivations at this stage, but absolutely nothing is ruled out in that regard. I really want to thank the people on the street who intervened.

“It's hard to believe that this could have been worse had they not done so. Let’s not forget that those who intervened were not just from Ireland. They're from other countries as well.”

Mr Varadkar said that people should not be afraid to go to Dublin City this weekend to show rioters that “the city belongs to us and not to them”.

He said that a huge amount of CCTV footage was gathered on Thursday evening and that the Government is “bringing through legislation” in relation to these cameras as “it's important that we're able to use modern technologies to go through that and go through it quickly”. He said this will be done in the next number of weeks.

The Taoiseach also confirmed that while he was happy with the policing approach, a “full review of events” will be carried out to “find out what can be done better”.

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