The public response from Ireland to the Asian tsunami disaster has been truly remarkable, the Taoiseach told the Dail tonight.
Mr Ahern said that the country was one of the first to respond to the catastrophe and the €50million raised by the public was "an expression of extraordinary human solidarity.
"As we have seen many times before, the Irish public responds to such emergencies far out of proportion for a country so small," Mr Ahern told a special debate on the issue tonight.
He added: "I cannot think of an occurrence in living memory which has touched the lives of so many people in so many countries across the world."
He passed on the Government's condolences to relatives and friends of the two Irish confirmed victims, Ms Eilis Finnegan and Mr Conor Keightley. Mr Ahern also remembered the families of those still missing.
The government pledged €20million to the disaster fund - the largest such Irish contribution to a single humanitarian emergency.