Minister for Justice Jim O'Callaghan has said he was "surprised" that the Irish Prison Service paid almost €25,000 to The 2 Johnnies to host a podcast focused on recruiting people to be prison officers.
The sponsored podcast featured prison staff speaking about life working in an Irish jail and the advantages of a job in the penal system.
The Irish Prison Service confirmed that a fee of €20,000, plus €4,600 in VAT, was agreed with the two Tipperary entertainers for the show.
Mr O'Callaghan said was "a lot of money to spend on a podcast", adding that it did not appear to him to be "a necessary expenditure".
He added that public money had to be spent "efficiently and carefully".
Watch: O'Callghan 'surprised' the Irish Prison Service paid 2 Johnnies almost 25k for podcast
Speaking at the Garda Superintendents Conference, the minister said he launched a garda recruitment campaign at the National Ploughing Championships alongside Garda Commissioner Justin Kelly.
"We don’t get paid €25,000 for doing it, not that we should," he added.
The commissioner said the gardaí "didn’t pay anything" for a podcast it participated in with The 2 Johnnies that was focused recruitment.
"It was really useful for us there last year," Mr Kelly said.
He said: "We had two young guards. We had a male and female on it and they did really well.
"It was a really good audience for us."
The IPS said its participation in a 2 Johnnies podcast allowed the service "to reach a broad national and international audience, highlighting the career opportunities available and the diverse roles the service can offer potential applicants".
It said "editorial adjustments" were made after the podcast was recorded to ensure none of the content "could prejudice or impair the security of any prison, its staff, or prisoners".
Internal emails describe how The 2 Johnnies were "very interested" in working with the prison service and offered a bespoke deal to promote careers in the service.
A message said the package would be a feature interview on the show involving one male and one female officer being asked about their roles - one of which would be a newly recruited officer and the other 10-15 years' service.
The 2 Johnnies said the price for the podcast would be €20,000, before VAT, and it would reach an enormous audience.
