The lion's share of the damage to the Irish economy was the fault of domestic, economic, and financial mismanagement.

The revelations of the Cloyne report have brought the government, Irish Catholics, and the Vatican to an unprecedented juncture.

I would never accuse the Irish people of being in any way stupid.

By 2007, an uncompetitive, bloated, over-borrowed and distorted Irish economy had been left at the mercy of subsequent international events without the safeguards, institutions, and mindset needed to survive and prosper as a small open economy inside the euro area.

Irish people are pragmatic. They understand that nobody is going to fix our problems but ourselves.

I think 'austerity' is a much abused word. I prefer to call it 'fiscal discipline' or financial, 'financial competency.'