Minister for Agriculture Michael Creed has reiterated a warning to landowners and other members of the public on setting fire to gorse or other vegetation between March and August.
Fire services battled for days to contain a gorse blaze in Co Galway, finally getting it under control last night.
Michael Creed said the fires are not without consequences - financially and environmentally - and people should be extremely careful.
Speaking to RTÉ's Morning Ireland, he said there have been hundreds of incidents of fires over the last number of weeks but most have been of "a minor nature".
Mr Creed said that 11 prosecutions have been taken against people for starting fires in recent years, with nine successful convictions.
There is provision in the law, he said, for controlled burning.
Minister for Agriculture Michael Creed says that there have been hundreds of gorse fires around Ireland in the past few weeks pic.twitter.com/yWD2JS6vHI
— RTÉ News (@rtenews) May 11, 2017
Meanwhile, Coillte staff are continuing to monitor the situation after a fire in Co Galway destroyed more than a third of the country's biggest forest.
The fire was brought under control last evening and is now described as suppressed.
Ground and aerial surveys are under way to ensure it does not reignite.
While wood and vegetation is still smouldering in places, those involved in the operation are confident they can manage the situation, once winds remain calm.
Forecasted rain showers in the coming days will also assist this process.
Meanwhile, the fire resulted in air pollution levels in Connemara being equal to those in Beijing for a time on Tuesday evening.
Speaking on RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta, Dr Liz Coleman, from NUI Galway's School of Physics and Centre for Climate and Air Pollution Studies, said that they had recorded levels of pollution of 150 micrograms at Mace Head, Ceann Mhása, in Connemara for several hours on Tuesday evening, the same level recorded in Beijing yesterday.
Dr Coleman said that 25 micrograms was considered a safe level, and that the area normally benefits from very clean air from the Atlantic, with readings below 20 micrograms.
