Dublin's new Lord Mayor has offered to make the Mansion House available for mediation talks in the city’s ongoing gangland feud.

Up to 18 people have died as a result of criminal dispute with much of the violence played out in newly installed Lord Mayor Nial Ring's north inner city constituency.

The independent councillor said he is a qualified mediator and has made it known that he is available to both sides.

He said he would not be afraid to speak to the criminals involved:

“Absolutely not, I mean anything I can do as Lord Mayor to help solve this particular problem and this particular feud, I would be delighted to do,” he said.

“I think it would be incumbent upon me to make the house available.”

Much of the dispute has been played out in the Lord Mayor’s own North Inner City constituency.

He said the Mansion House offers a neutral venue to get the feuding factions around the table.

“Every lord Mayor in this term has made this offer; that the Mansion House would be available and their offices would be available,” he said.

“I myself am a qualified mediator so I would have no issue with meeting up with any people who want to come in and talk about this.”

Reporting from Aideen Finnegan ...