Thousands gather outside US embassy in Dublin

Thousands gathered outside the US embassy in Dublin at 11 a.m

Thousands gathered outside the US embassy in Dublin at 11 a.m. this morning to observe a three-minute silence in memory of the victims of America's terrorist attacks.

The crowd stood silent, some holding candles and many in tears, as the State remembered the thousands who remain missing presumed dead after the United State's worst ever terrorist atrocity. Many Irish citizens and Irish-Americans are believed to have died in the attacks.

A half-kilometre queue of up to 4,000 people has assembled to sign the book of condolence set up outside the embassy in the wake of the terrorist blitz.

Mr Lester Hendrix, from Bloomington, Delaware, in the US told ireland.com: "It is so comforting to have everybody alongside us. The support received in Ireland is very comforting".

READ MORE

Ms Roxanne Wilkinson from Boston said: "What happened was horrific. The support here in Ireland is truly amazing".

Mr Noel and Mrs Marie Cassidy who travelled from Naas, Co Kildare, to sign the book of condolence said: "We're stunned, can't take it in, can't absorb it, don't really understand it. We felt like we had to do something".

The Taoiseach Mr Ahern and members of the Cabinet signed the book of condolence on Wednesday shortly after announcing Ireland's National Day of Mourning taking place today.

Eoin Burke-Kennedy

Eoin Burke-Kennedy

Eoin Burke-Kennedy is Economics Correspondent of The Irish Times