Minister for Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs Éamon Ó Cuív has said he believes Fianna Fáil should try to collect more money from its own members to fund the party.
He was reacting to the announcement by Taoiseach Brian Cowen that there will be no Fianna Fáil fundraising tent at the Galway Races this year.
Mr Ó Cuív said he respected the decision of Mr Cowen and hoped the decision worked well.
The minister said the move would be dependent on party members digging a little deeper than usual when Fianna Fáil is fundraising.
He said the party now needed to face up to the challenge to collect more money from the party membership, adding it would be possible given the enormous membership of Fianna Fáil.
Galway TD Frank Fahey has praised Mr Cowen's decision.
Deputy Fahey said it was a good decision because the tent had outlived its usefulness.
He said the tent may have been a good idea 15 years ago, but in more recent times it caused much more trouble than it was worth.
Deputy Fahey said the tent was a source of difficulty for the local organisations in Fianna Fáil in Galway because it was seen as being ‘exclusive’.
He said he thinks there are better ways the Fianna Fáil party can fundraise in the future.
Galway tent a 'pain in the arse': McCreevy
Meanwhile, European Commissioner Charlie McCreevy has described the Galway Races tent as 'a pain in the arse'.
Mr McCreevy said he was obliged to attend the fundraising event when he was a Minister, but that he preferred going to the races and having a bet rather than going to the tent.
He said he had found the tent to be a pain in the arse, adding that he was allowed to use such language as it had been sanctioned by the Taoiseach.
