Minister for Justice Dermot Ahern has described the recent spate of knife attacks as very worrying.
Speaking on RTÉ's News At One, Mr Ahern said the Government was working to try to raise awareness in an effort to reduce knife crime.
He said the Oireachtas had recently passed new laws introducing stricter penalties for knife crime.
His comments come as gardaí continue their investigations into a series of knife attacks and assaults in which four men were injured in Ballinrobe at the weekend.
Two men suffered stab wounds and two others were badly beaten in the Mayo town yesterday.
Members of the Special Investigation Unit, which was set up to try to locate those involved in the attacks, have been carrying out house-to-house inquiries in the town and in surrounding villages.
Gardaí say there has been a huge response to their appeal for witnesses to come forward. They say they have been gradually building up a picture of the sequence of events that led to the stabbings and beatings.
In the first incident, a 27-year-old man sustained serious head injuries when he was assaulted by a group of men on New Street at about 3.30am yesterday morning.
He is in a critical condition in Beaumont Hospital in Dublin following surgery.
A second man was also injured in the incident.
A short time later two men, aged 20 and 31, were stabbed on Neale Street in the town.
They are said to be in a stable condition in hospital.
It is understood that a group of three or four men carried out both attacks.
A special incident room has been set up at Ballinrobe Garda Station.
Gardaí have renewed their appeal to people who were in the New Street and Neale Road areas of the town early yesterday morning to contact them at 094-9542830.
