Ahern congratulates Irish team

The Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern, has congratulated the Irish football team on its qualification for the knock-out stages of the World Cup finals.

Speaking in Dublin after the game this afternoon, Mr Ahern said: "There’s only four million of us . . . It’s a great, great achievement for the country to get through the group that we got through, first of all in qualifying and now to get into the second round unbeaten."