Dublin - Irish President Mary McAleese expressed sympathy Monday evening in Dublin to visiting Finnish President Tarja Halonen over the recent school shooting near Helsinki. "(Last week) we discovered a strong and spontaneous affinity between the Irish and the Finns, an affinity which we recall once again tonight, as we sympathize with the bereaved, the injured, and the wider community of Tuusula, following last Wednesday's tragic events," McAleese said at an official dinner at her residence according to a statement from the president's office.
Eight people were killed when teenage student Pekka-Eric Auvinen went on a shooting rampage Wednesday at a school complex in Jokela near Tuusula to the north of the Finnish capital.
Halonen was scheduled to return to Finland Wednesday.
McAleese made a state visit to Finland in 2001.
