The arrival of a woman at the mosque bearing flowers was a “beautiful gesture”, one that meant a lot to the Muslim community, a senior member of the mosque said.

The “alarmist” media coverage in relation to the Irish link to the London terror attack last Saturday “bears no relation” to the jihadi threat level to Ireland, according to a terrorism expert.

A leading Imam said worshippers, including children, could have been seriously injured in a rock attack on his mosque in Galway, in which one of its windows were smashed.

One of the country’s busiest mosques has, for the past two months, had security guards in place and is to receive additional policing over the holy month of Ramadan, which begins today.

While Ireland may remain generally safe for Muslims, the rhetoric of Donald Trump and a right wing attack on a Mosque in Quebec have increased apprehension among Ireland’s Muslim community, writes Cormac O’Keeffe