SOME STATE BUILDINGS are flying their flags at half-mast today to observe the passing of King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia.

It was confirmed to TheJournal.ie that the flags had been lowered above Government Buildings and the Department of Jobs.

It is also thought that flags are being flown at half-mast above the Aras and the Department of Foreign Affairs.

Still waiting to find out why this flag is at half mast. Dept of Jobs first said it slipped down but retracted 1/2 pic.twitter.com/fbXy52gAXz — Colman O'Sullivan (@colmanos) January 23, 2015 Source: Colman O'Sullivan /Twitter

Speaking about the action, a spokesperson for the government said that the practice was normally observed after the death of any current head of state.

Flags at Buckingham Palace and various government buildings in the UK are being flown at half-mast for 12 hours today to mark the passing of the monarch. This is a move that has drawn criticism from a number of MPs due to the late king’s human rights record.

King Abdullah

The passing of Saudi Arabia’s head of state King Abdullah was confirmed in a statement from the royal court on Thursday night.

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The king had been admitted to hospital on New Year’s Eve suffering from pneumonia.

He was succeeded today by King Salman, a half brother of the former king. He has already moved quickly to appoint a number of heirs and ministers.