Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney has strongly defended the Government's record on preparing the country for a possible no-deal Brexit.
Speaking in Curraheen in Cork, at an event involving Down Syndrome Cork and Voxpro, Mr Coveney said the Government "continues to focus intensively on no-deal Brexit contingency planning", even if that is not always represented in the media.
He said: "I can reassure people, that in the background, we have never taken our foot off the accelerator in terms of that contingency process."
The Tánaiste added: "Our planning for a no-deal Brexit has been at full speed for many months. And we haven't slowed down - even after the extension of the Article 50 process."
Mr Coveney described the breakdown in Brexit talks between the British Conservative and Labour parties as "disappointing and a setback".
Yesterday, British cross-party talks collapsed after Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn told Prime Minister Theresa May they had "gone as far as they can".
Mr Corbyn pulled the plug on the negotiations, telling Mrs May "we have been unable to bridge important policy gaps between us".
He also said the prospect of a change in Tory leadership meant the government was becoming "ever more unstable and its authority eroded" and Labour could not be confident in any cross-party agreement being delivered.
Mrs May will set out the timetable for her departure in early June after a crucial House of Commons vote on the Withdrawal Agreement Bill.
Mr Coveney said Dublin always knew it was going to be "very difficult" to get agreement between the two parties, and therefore it "wasn't a surprise to us" when the talks failed.
The Tánaiste said both Ireland and the EU want to be "helpful and generous to Britain", but added that "the Withdrawal Agreement is closed".
Regarding public awareness of the Government's planning for a no-deal Brexit, Mr Coveney said: "We will certainly be winding that up in the coming weeks and months, in terms of helping the public and businesses understand ... the significant consequences that would arise."
