Micheál Martin dismisses Tommy Tiernan's criticism of Ireland's foreign aid pledges

Mr Tiernan said on Wednesday the Government could give what’s needed if they wanted

Taoiseach Micheál Martin has slapped down criticism about Ireland’s commitment to foreign aid voiced by comedian Tommy Tiernan, saying “it is not that simple”.

Mr Tiernan said on Wednesday the Government could give what’s needed if they wanted, they could address global food structures at the UN.

“If they wanted, they could address crop dependency and market interference if wanted. They don’t,” Mr Tiernan said.

“The money is there, a Fine Gael Government first promised in 1974 to give 0.7pc of G.N.I (gross national income) in Overseas Development Aid… we’re still waiting and a child will die today of hunger,” he added.

A statement from Tommy Tiernan in response to Simon Coveney TD - Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister for Defence pic.twitter.com/6BwFg9PS6T

— Tommy Tiernan (@Tommedian) September 22, 2022

Speaking in New York on Thursday, Mr Martin hit back insisting Ireland has been one of the stronger countries now historically, on nutrition, on global food programs.

“For example, we would have had historic involvement in Ethiopia, over decades, in terms of agricultural techniques, and farming, and so on. And yet conflict again intervenes in the form of a terrible war in Ethiopia which has destroyed a lot of what had been achieved. I don't accept that that's a fair criticism,” he said.

Mr Martin said he has been very wary with percentages of GNI and GDP as barometers, because it very much depends on a high growth level, for example.

“On a high growth level, where you have high percentage, you'll never chase it. But when you get low growth or negative growth, you suddenly look much better,” he said.

Taoiseach Micheal Martin has said he has been very wary with percentages of GNI and GDP as barometers, because it very much depends on a high growth level, for example. Photo: Damien Storan.

Ireland is seen positively across the developing world as a country that is serious, not just in terms of financial allocation, but in terms of how best to change systems, from governance, from women and conflict, resourcing those areas, he said.

“And I would say that there's always room to improve, of course, but the idea that Ireland doesn't want to have this is not true, Ireland does want to help, Ireland has been helping for a long, long time in many, many countries,” he added.

“It is not that simple, in terms of jumping from a particular percentage to 0.7. It's not that simple,” he said.

Mr Tiernan has criticised the Government’s contribution of €50m to tackle malnutrition in the Horn of Africa, saying “it’s not enough”.

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On Wednesday evening, Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney announced that Ireland made the financial commitment in response to a call from the US humanitarian relief agency, USAID, and Unicef.

However, taking to social media this morning, RTÉ chat show host Tiernan said the funds that have been pledged fall short of what is needed, and “if they wanted”, first-world leaders could eliminate starvation in the developing world.

Mr Tiernan has recently returned from a trip to Somalia with the Irish Emergency Alliance.

“This is what they do, they bamboozle the public with numbers and figures and charts, the truth behind these statistics is that it’s not enough money and they know it’s not,” he said.