A forsenic expert in Cullingtree Road, west Belfast on Sunday. Picture by Ann McManus

There have been calls for a crackdown on young people carrying knives after eight stabbings left one man dead and the nephew of a Sinn Féin MLA fighting for his life.

Sam Leckey was in a critical condition in hospital on Sunday after being stabbed in west Belfast early.

The 18-year-old, whose uncle is Sinn Féin assembly member Fra McCann, is the fifth man to have been targeted with a knife in the last four days in Northern Ireland, the third in the city of Belfast.

Three more people were stabbed in Dublin over the weekend leaving one man dead. The 21-year-old was killed in the early hours of yesterday at a flat in the Oliver Bond complex in south Dublin.

In Armagh City a 27-year-old man was arrested after a stabbing in the early hours of Saturday. The 24-year-old victim was treated in hospital but was later discharged.

Meanwhile, a man has been remanded into custody accused of attempted murder in a Belfast city centre stabbing.

Gareth McClurg (23), of Tower Street, was charged with the attempted murder of Andrew McFadden in High Street on Thursday.

There were calls last night for more to be done to tackle "the growing knife crime in our society."

Sinn Féin councillor Mary McConville said the latest attack had brought "home the reality of these incidents".

"More needs to be done to deal with the growing knife crime in our society and I am calling on young people not to be drawn into carrying knives," she said.

SDLP assembly member Alex Attwood described the stabbing as "shocking and appalling".

And he added: There is growing concern about the rise in knife crime attacks in Belfast. Any level of knife crime is unacceptable, and more needs to be done to deal with knife crime in our society".