Image source, Conor Sharkey

Conor Sharkey, who is from Strabane in County Tyrone, is on O'Connell Street in Dublin and says there are scenes of destruction everywhere.

"I am looking at a low-loader lorry which has the charred remains of what I assume is two or three vehicles," he says.

Image source, Conor Sharkey

"There is another one in front of me of what was a vehicle, but is now just ash and charred metal.

"I can also see the Luas [tram] that was attacked and there are about a dozen Dublin City Council workers working hard to clear the mess and debris, but it's a really sorry scene."

Image source, Getty Images

Former Northern Ireland victims’ commissioner Patricia MacBride was in a leisure centre in Dublin last night.

They were told they would have to leave the building.

"We came out of the building onto the quays we could see a bus on fire and a blocked road with garda officers with shields and helmets," she told BBC's Good Morning Ulster.

"It was quite disturbing watching young people throwing cans, bottles and whatever they could get their hands.

"They were late teens, early 20s but what was disturbing was there an older generation of people egging them on and a lot of naming calling to members of garda."

She says she also saw people from different nationalities who were being shielded by people walking with them - however - she said the "anger was directed at the gardaí".

Enda McClafferty
BBC News NI political editor, reporting from Dublin

The scars of Thursday night are being removed by street cleaners this morning, the burnt out Dublin bus has gone and the only evidence left is the scorch marks on the street.

An army of street cleaners has moved in.

I'm standing outside one of those 13 shops Drew Harris spoke about in the middle of O'Connell Street.

The Asics store has three smashed windows, workmen are trying to repair the damage. Inside has been completely looted.

Three doors down we have Foot Locker and it's a similar story there.

There's a billboard that says Black Friday - little did the people know who put up the sign how black this Friday was going to be for these companies.

People are shell-shocked and as much as the gardaí were caught unawares, so were members of the public about how quickly things could get our of control.

Image source, Reuters

Garda Commissioner Drew Harris has just finished holding a press conference on the violence in Dublin on Thursday night.

For those of you just joining us, here's a look back over the key lines:

• Harris said there were 34 arrests made during the riot, following an earlier knife attack in Dublin that left four people injured
• Thirteen shops were damaged significantly, while 11 garda vehicles, three buses and a luas tram were destroyed, he added
• One officer was seriously injured during the police operation, with many more injured during the rioting
• Calm was restored between 20:30 and 21:00, Harris said
• Reflecting on the events, he told the press that what happened was an "extraordinary", adding that such scenes have not been seen "for decades"
• The commissioner defended officers' response to the scenes, adding that there would be a "fundamental review of public order tactics"
• Harris warned gardaí assume there will be more violence and they will assess how to respond

And with that, the press conference has now come to an end.

Just before he finished, Commissioner Harris said there would be heavy police presence in Dublin throughout the day and urged people to continue using the city.

One officer was seriously injured during the police operation, Harris says.

He says many other officers were injured during the rioting and that the force is collating details about their injuries.

Harris says he will be in contact with the officers during the day and says it was an exhausting night for all of his staff.

He again defends the garda response - saying it was not a "non-confrontational response".

"Many more arrests will now follow," he adds

He says there is an assumption that there will be further protests.

He says the Garda will then have to look to the tactics and equipment that can be made available to it.

Image source, PA Media

Harris is now taking questions from the press.

He tells the journalists that what happened was an "extraordinary" outbreak of violence, adding that such scenes have not been seen "for decades".

Harris says gardaí assume there will be more violence and they will assess how to respond.

Drew Harris says there will be a "fundamental review of public order tactics".

He says this is important "given the amount of violence directed towards citizens, members of An Garda Siochana, but also the community".

Harris goes on to defend the Garda response to the riots.

He says public order units from all over Ireland responded to the scene in Dublin.

He adds that officers "could not have anticipated" that this would have been the reaction to the stabbing, saying rioters were "filled with hate".

Commissioner Harris says a riotous mob tried to "break in" and "disrupt" the crime scene following a stabbing in which three children and a woman were injured.

Drew Harris says the violence escalated following this incident and calm was restored between 20:30 and 21:00.

Drew Harris describes Thursday's scenes as "terrible".

He says there was "huge destruction from a riotous mob".

He says there were 34 arrests, with 32 people due in court on Friday morning.

Thirteen shops were damaged significantly or looted, 11 garda vehicles were destroyed, three buses were destroyed and a luas tram destroyed.

A press conference with Garda (Irish police) Commissioner Drew Harris has begun.

We'll be bringing you the latest lines as a clean-up operation is under way in the Irish capital.

You can also watch it live by pressing the play button at the top of the page.

Image source, Getty

The president of the Garda Representative Association, which represents rank and file officers, says the riots were not a failure of policing, but highlight "serious issues" facing officers.

Speaking to Irish broadcaster RTÉ's Morning Ireland, external, Brendan O'Connor says officers did their best in a "challenging and fluid situation" but that the response to the disorder highlights issues that have been facing the service for a number of years such as training, equipment and officer numbers.

Mr O'Connor believes people were "intent on exploiting these weaknesses".

"What happened last night was extreme levels of violence with criminal intent," he says.

"There was a lot of disorder and members came under sustained attack and struggled to keep order."

Aoife Moore
BBC Dublin Reporter

Quiet has fallen over the city but the violence went on into the early hours.

Gardaí aren't able to tell us yet how many people have been arrested but we know that more than 400 officers were deployed in the city centre and some were injured.

As somebody who lives in Dublin, I've never seen anything like this.

People are genuinely on edge, businesses are closed today and buses and the Luas tram aren't running fully.

I don't think Dublin has had a night like this in decades.

A five-year-old girl remains in a critical condition in hospital after the knife attack outside a school.

Two other children and a woman in her 30s were also injured.

Irish broadcaster RTÉ says a six-year-old girl is being treated for head injuries and is due to undergo surgery.

A five-year-old boy who suffered minor physical injuries was discharged from hospital within hours of the attack.

The woman remains in a serious condition in hospital.

The suspect was also injured and remains under police guard in hospital.

Garda Commissioner Drew Harris is set to hold a press conference later this morning at about 08:00 following Thursday night's violence.

Mr Harris has condemned the disorder saying there were "disgraceful scenes".

There is still a "significant" police presence in Dublin city centre with O'Connell Street and Parnell Street still closed.

We'll bring you the latest from that conference here.

The Irish capital saw outbreaks of disorder on Thursday night.

Some rioters smashed storefronts, set fire to vehicles and clashed with police.

Unrest broke out in the city centre following a knife attack earlier in the day which left four people injured.

Police said misinformation and far-right “hooligan” groups were to blame for the ensuing violence.

Here's the latest on what we know of how events unfolded in Dublin last night:

• Not long after 13:30 on Thursday several people were attacked outside the Gaelscoil Choláiste Mhuire children's school in Dublin

• A five-year-old girl and a woman in her 30s were seriously injured in the attack. A six-year-old girl and a five-year-old boy sustained less serious injuries

• A man in his 40s was also seriously injured. Officers said they weren't looking for anyone else and investigators say they're "keeping an open mind" about any motive

• After the attack, violent unrest then broke out just after 18:00 on several streets in the city centre, 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"
• Sources have indicated to the BBC that the man suspected of carrying out the attack is an Irish citizen, who has lived in the country for 20 years

• The situation in Dublin was much calmer overnight - but police said more than 400 officers had remained on patrol after the disorder
• Police also said a "significant" number of arrests had been made but did not give an exact figure

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

Last night, some vehicles were set alight and fireworks were set off as people took to the streets of Dublin.

The situation is said to have mostly calmed down since - but below are pictures showing the earlier disorder.

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Reuters

Image source, AFP