Ireland’s Tourism Minister has moved to quell fears over safety after a major incident in Dublin city centre.

Minister Leo Varadkar made the move after a brawl involving up to a dozen people in the Henry City area on Tuesday night.

Police had to move to break up the near riot as shoppers and tourists were put in danger.

The fight broke out in an area between the General Post Office, the GPO, and a tourist office on the busy street.

“Any violence is a matter of concern, but Dublin is an extremely safe city. The number of complaints that we get from tourists is very low,” stressed Varadkar.

“We have 6.5 million visitors coming to Ireland every year, with three-quarters visiting Dublin.

“Only three out of every 10,000 run into problems and have to contact the Irish Tourist Assistance Service.”