Martin: Partnership with Nato does not affect Irish neutrality 

Asked by Sinn Féin’s Matt Carty about what he would consider to be a breach of Irish neutrality, Defence Minister Micheál Martin said: “Neutrality is fundamentally whether you are a member of a military alliance or not. That’s how it has always been defined. Picture: David Creedon

Micheál Martin has again insisted Ireland is not joining Nato, and denied a recently-signed partnership agreement with it is “an erosion of our neutrality”.

Instead, he said Ireland needs help from a variety of different bodies to not only protect itself but to help carry out international peace-keeping duties.