Buses, trams and other public transport infrastructure was targeted and damaged on Thursday by crowds in Dublin city centre.

Dermot O'Leary, chief of Ireland's National Bus and Railworkers' Union described those who targeted transport infrastructure as "thugs" and "despicable people".

He told RTE Radio 1: "What does looting say to any social discourse? It's the lowest of the low."

Enda McClafferty
BBC News NI political editor, reporting from Dublin

The 40th British-Irish Council Summit is being held in Dublin on Friday.

The hope was that the focus would be on moves to bring the assembly back together at Stormont, where Northern Ireland's laws are made and scrutinised. It's been effectively collapsed for more than a year and a half.

But what happened on Thursday - ending with a heavy night of rioting in Dublin city centre - will completely overshadow any potential discussions.

It's very hard to get a sense of what might happen next.

Image source, .

Earlier tonight, the Irish Times's social affairs correspondent gave her take on the people causing disturbances on the streets of the Irish capital.

Kitty Holland told BBC Newsnight the unrest happened in Dublin's inner city, where "there's a lot of poverty, there's a lot of run-down deprived areas just immediately cheek-by-jowl with the city centre".

She said there were a lot of angry, disaffected young people living through a cost-of-living crisis and "a chance to go up against the authorities, go up against the police is taken by young kids".

"They aren't politically motived young people, these are people who have seen an opportunity to get out and have a riot and essentially, they're grabbing it."

A journalist for news outlet, Journal.ie, Eimear McCauley, appeared on Ireland's national broadcaster RTE Radio 1 earlier and described the scenes she saw in the city centre.

As she walked home, she said she saw "men with sticks smashing into shops and premises around O'Connell Street leaving with bags full of stuff".

She said she saw people "live-streaming and encouraging people into the rioting.

"I also saw a lot of opportunist younger lads using the chance to take whatever they could and run away."

The situation in Dublin is much calmer now than it was earlier.

Images from this evening show fires were started in the city centre and people targeted public transport.

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Reuters

Back to the afternoon's attack outside a school in Dublin city centre, which left three children and a woman in her 30s injured.

Irish outlet TheJournal.ie has spoken to Caio Benicio, a 43-year-old Deliveroo driver who says he was passing by on his motorbike when he saw a young girl being attacked by a man with a knife.

He got off his bike and hit the attacker with his helmet, the report says, external.

"I didn’t even make a decision, it was pure instinct, and it was all over in seconds. He fell to the ground," said Mr Benicio.

"I have two kids myself, so I had to do something. I did what anyone would do. People were there but they couldn't step in because he was armed, but I knew I could use my helmet as a weapon."

Mr Benicio said he was now praying for the five-year-old girl he saw being attacked. He also told TheJournal.ie he was sad to see rioters with anti-immigrant sentiments on the streets.

"It looks like they hate immigrants. Well I am an immigrant, and I did what I could to try and save that little girl."

More than 400 police officers were on the streets at the height of the response to the riots, Ch Supt Patrick McMenamin has said in a statement on social media.

Some were attacked - but no serious injuries were reported by police or members of the public, he said.

Officers are still patrolling the city centre, but things are settling down now.

Here's what some of the streets of the Irish capital looked like about two hours ago in pictures put out on social media by Gardai.

Image source, An Garda Síochána

Image source, An Garda Síochána

It's just past 00:30 in Dublin, where the streets have calmed down after an evening of violent unrest.

Here's how the day unfolded:

• Just after 13:30 a number of people were attacked outside a school in Dublin

• A five-year-old girl and a woman in her 30s were seriously hurt, while a six-year-old girl and five-year-old boy sustained less serious injuries
• An injured man in his 40s was arrested by police at the scene. Officers say they're following a "definite line of inquiry" and not looking for anyone else in connection with what happened

• Violent unrest then broke out just after 18:00, with clashes between a crowd of people and police. Vehicles were set alight and shops were looted
• Police say the unrest was driven by a "lunatic, hooligan faction driven by a far-right ideology"
• They have also urged people to "ignore misinformation about the stabbing online" and Ireland's justice minister said people are using "the appalling attack to sow division". "This is not about immigration, this is not about the young children who are in hospital," Helen McEntee said
• Sources have told the BBC the suspected attacker is an Irish citizen who has lived in the country for 20 years
• The situation in Dublin has calmed down now, but many officers in riot gear are still on the streets

Stay with us as we bring you the latest from the Irish capital overnight.

Image source, Getty Images

Ireland's Justice Minister Helen McEntee has been speaking to national broadcaster RTE about the violent unrest.

She describes the rioters as a "relatively small group of people" who don't represent a large faction of society and whose sole focus is to "wreak havoc".

"This is not about immigration, this is not about the young children who are in hospital this evening," she says.

"These are criminals and thugs who have come into our city centre and used a horrific attack on innocent children for their own gain and their own benefit," she says.

Police earlier said the protests were driven by a far-right element that whipped up anger and chanted anti-immigrant slogans on the streets, according to RTE.

Chris Page
Ireland correspondent

Earlier today, the head of the Irish police, Garda Commissioner Drew Harris, was asked who he thought was behind the rioting.

"We have a complete lunatic, hooligan faction driven by a far-right ideology, and then also this disruptive tendency engaged in serious violence."

Harris said people should ignore misinformation about the stabbing that was circulating online.

The Irish Justice Minister, Helen McEntee, said some people were taking advantage of a tragic event: "There is group of people, thugs, criminals who are using this appalling attack to sow division and to wreak havoc in our city centre."

Sources have have said the man suspected of carrying out the stabbing is an Irish citizen, who has lived in the country for 20 years.

The situation in Dublin has calmed, but a large number of police remain on the streets in riot gear.

Hostel and hotel fronts have come under attack this evening, as you'll see from the footage above.

Chris Page
Ireland correspondent

O’Connell Street is usually thought of as the gateway to Dublin city centre. But tonight, it was a chaotic and frightening scene.

The rioters have now largely dispersed.

Scores of them attacked police with fireworks and bricks. They set on fire a bus, a tram and at least one police vehicle.

Looters broke into several shops, in the retail district on the northern side of the River Liffey.

The violence broke out near the scene of a stabbing outside a school a few hours previously.

A five-year-old girl and a woman in her thirties are in a serious condition in hospital. Two other children, aged five and six, were also injured.

The Garda Siochana's traffic police account on X, formerly Twitter, says, external city centre streets are "now mainly calm".

Some reports of ongoing disorder have continued to emerge in the last hour.

Dublin's bus operator has also confirmed that all services are currently suspended.

It's still not clear exactly what sparked this evening's unrest, although it appears to be a response to the earlier knife attack in Dublin - in which a young girl and a woman in her 30s were seriously injured.

The Irish police chief, Drew Harris, has blamed the unrest on a "lunatic, hooligan faction driven by far-right ideology", and has urged people to ignore "misinformation... circulating on social media".

And Justice Minister Helen McEntee earlier said a "thuggish and manipulative element" was trying to "use an appalling tragedy to wreak havoc".

President Michael D Higgins says his thoughts are with "each of the children and their families affected by today's horrific attack" outside a school in central Dublin.

The president continues: "We are particularly thinking of the five-year-old girl and the member of staff caring for her who are both in serious condition in hospital. All of our prayers are with each of them for a full recovery." Higgins says police deserve "all of our support" in dealing with the incident.

Turning to this evening's events, Higgins adds:

David Porter
Reporting from Dublin

There have been renewed clashes between protestors and riot police in Dublin near the castle within the last 30 minutes.

Police with riot shields have driven back protesters in the Dublin 8 district.

Here's some more dramatic video that's reached us - showing a bus, tram and police car ablaze.

Due to the unrest in the centre of the city, police have instructed Trinity College Dublin to close "all gates", the university itself says on social media, external.

The institution has also urged students to stay safe and stand by for updates.

For those just joining our live coverage, here's a recap how a chaotic day in Dublin has unfolded.

• Shortly before 15:00, reports began to emerge of what the Garda Siochana - Ireland's police force - described as a "serious incident" on Parnell Square East, in the north of Dublin city centre
• It was then confirmed that a five-year-old girl and a woman in her 30s had been seriously injured in a knife attack outside a school around 90 minutes earlier
• A six-year-old girl and a five-year-old boy were also hurt during the incident
• Police said a man who sustained serious injuries outside the school was a "person of interest" in their investigation, and they were "keeping an open mind" about any potential motive
• Violent disorder broke out in Dublin city centre shortly after 18:00 - with clashes between police and a crowd of people
• Riot police are on the street, vehicles have been set alight, and a Foot Locker store on O'Connell Street has been looted
• It's not clear what exactly caused this evening's unrest. The Irish police chief has blamed the unrest on a "lunatic, hooligan faction driven by far-right ideology", and has urged people to ignore "misinformation... circulating on social media"

We'll continue to bring you live updates here.

Image source, PA Media

Here's the latest video dispatch from our Ireland correspondent Sara Girvin.

She's been reporting from near the disturbances in Dublin - and saw riot police pass her in the street.