Noonan remarks misinterpreted, says Gilmore

THE Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore has distanced himself from Michael Noonan’s controversial comments on emigration, saying he could understand why they caused offence but that they had been “misinterpreted”.

Mr Noonan had claimed a lot of young people were going abroad as a “lifestyle” choice rather than because of mass unemployment.

However, Eamon Gilmore yesterday said he believed the clear majority of people who emigrated were doing so for economic reasons.