Lagarde: No special terms invented for Ireland

The head of the IMF says special bailout terms cannot be invented for Ireland.

In a speech at Dublin Castle quoting Peig Sayers, WB Yeats and even including a few words of Irish, Christine Lagarde said Ireland's response to the crisis had been 'tenacious'.

The MD of the IMF said her organisation would keep an open mind on the possibility of extending the maturity date of the bailout loans, but said there would be no 'ad-hoc' terms invented for any country.

Following her keynote speech, Lagarde was asked by a spokesperson for the St Vincent de Paul about the hardship being experienced by the Irish people.