The President, Mrs McAleese, has extended "the most sincere sympathy" of the people of Ireland to the family of Sgt Andrew Callanan. Mrs McAleese conveyed her condolences to the Garda Commissioner, Mr Pat Byrne, Sgt Callanan's colleagues, his wife, Yvonne, and other members of the Callanan family.
The Tanaiste, Ms Harney, whose constituency includes Tallaght Garda station, said she was "shocked and outraged" by Sgt Callanan's death. "This despicable crime has brutally taken away the life of a father of three, as he carried out his duties on behalf of the people of the State." Ms Harney said she hoped "the perpetrator is brought swiftly to justice".
The Labour Party leader, Mr Ruairi Quinn, welcomed the early arrest of a suspect in the case. "This was a vile and evil attack on a station specifically designed to be open and welcoming to the public."
The Fine Gael spokesman on justice, Mr Jim Higgins, described the attack as "barbaric".
The Archbishop of Dublin, Dr Desmond Connell, said: "People of goodwill all over Ireland will have been shocked" by Sgt Callanan's death. He extended his sympathy to Sgt Callanan's family and to his Garda colleagues.
The Church of Ireland Archbishop of Dublin, the Most Rev Walton Empey, who visited the station, said he felt "a terrible sense of sadness" about Sgt Callanan's death. "We have an unarmed police force. They don't face this sort of thing every day but they face it often enough, and we're so grateful for what they do. Words just can't express what people feel at a time like this. The whole community deserves sympathy."
The president of the Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors, Mr Pat Diggin, said every garda was "deeply shocked by what has happened". He said the incident illustrated the dangers facing gardai in "our increasingly violent society". Mr P.J. Stone of the Garda Representative Association said Sgt Callanan had "paid the ultimate price for upholding the rule of law".
Mr Conor Lenihan TD said it was "immensely unfortunate" that a station "designed to be people-friendly may now have to be changed to protect ordinary members of the force".
Mr John Gormley TD of the Green Party said the community of Tallaght was "deeply shocked".
The Cathaoirleach of South Dublin County Council, Mr Charlie O'Connor, extended the sympathy of the council to Sgt Callanan's family, and said "the death of a garda serving the community has shocked the people of Tallaght".
