Minister for Foreign Affairs Charlie Flanagan has said the bodies of the three Irish victims of the Tunisia terror attacks will be home within 24 hours.
Final preparations are under way for the repatriation of Lorna Carty from Robinstown, Co Meath, and husband and wife Martina and Laurence Hayes, from Westlodge, Athlone.
Mother-of-two Ms Carty, a nurse, was on holidays with her husband Declan in the popular beach resort of Sousse when she was killed. Mr Carty survived the attack.
Mr Flanagan, who was at a Somme commemoration in Belfast, said the bodies of the three victims are being flown to Dublin.
"The formal identification process has now been completed in Tunisia, there were formalities that were undertaken," he said.
"In terms of dealing with the authorities there we expect that over the next 24 hours the bodies of the deceased will be returned to Dublin and thereafter the funeral arrangements will take place at the behest of the families."
Books of condolences were also opened in Meath, Athlone and online by the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation.
The funeral arrangements for Mr and Mrs Hayes have been made, with both reposing at Flynn's Funeral Home, The Strand, Athlone from 2pm tomorrow before removal to the Church of Saint Peter and Paul.
A requiem mass will be held at 11am on Friday, followed by burial afterwards in Coosan Cemetery.
The couple are survived by their daughter Sinead.
The Tunisian health ministry has said that all 38 victims have been identified, among them 30 Britons.
First bodies of British victims repatriated
The bodies of eight of the 30 British people killed in the attack arrived in Britain this afternoon.
A flight landed this afternoon containing the bodies of Adrian Evans, Charles Evans, Joel Richards, Carly Lovett, Stephen Mellor, John Stollery, and Denis and Elaine Thwaites, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office said.
The bodies arrived at RAF Brize Norton northwest of London, where white-gloved pall-bearers in air force uniforms linked arms to carry each coffin to a hearse waiting near the runway.
The coffins, including those of three generations of a single family, were covered with white flowers and were carried from Tunisia on a Royal Air Force flight.
Last Friday, Tunisian Seifeddine Rezgui, 23, pulled a Kalashnikov assault rifle from inside a beach umbrella and went on a rampage at the five-star RIU Imperial Marhaba hotel in Port El Kantaoui.
The death toll among Britons was the worst loss of life for Britain in a terror attack since the July 2005 bombings in London that killed 52 people.
British Prime Minister David Cameron has vowed a full investigation, calling for "a response at home and abroad" to violent Islamic fundamentalism.
British police have sent forensic experts to Tunisia to help investigate the attack.
The 25 British tourists who were wounded in the attack have already been flown home.
Sunway suspends flight schedule to Tunisia
Sunway Holidays has suspended its weekly flight schedule to Monastir from Friday 3 July.
The company said it flights are being suspended until the situation in Tunisia has been clarified.
Friday's return flight from Monastir to Dublin will go ahead as scheduled.
Customers who have booked a trip with the company to Tunisia are being offered an alternative holiday or a full refund.
