Taoiseach Brian Cowen has said he has not ruled out the prospect of holding a second referendum on the Lisbon treaty.
Speaking to reporters in Galway this evening, Mr Cowen said it was a matter the Government would consider in due course but he said discussions were not at that point yet.
“The point of discussion we are at, at the moment, is examining the outcome of the referendum and obviously there will be a lot of meetings with EU colleagues between now and the end of the year.
So it's not just a matter for our own personal consideration or national consideration, it is a matter we have to discuss with colleagues as well," he said.
Sinn Féin tonight claimed that Mr Cowen did not have the mandate to hold a second referendum.
The party’s MEP Mary Lou McDonald said the Government could not re-run the same referendum and if there was to be another vote it would have to be substantially different from the one which was rejected.
Minister of State for European Affairs Dick Roche provoked controversy over the weekend when he said a second referendum on the treaty would “ultimately” be required and that ratifying key elements by legislation was not a viable option.
Mr Roche later defended his remarks, saying it was his personal belief that a second Lisbon vote may be necessary, adding that Ireland needed to stay at the heart of the EU.
The Government has so far tried to play down the controversy surrounding Mr Roche’s remarks, insisting that talk of a second referendum was premature.
But No campaigners claim Mr Roche’s comments expose the Government’s secret plans on Lisbon.
The former Green Party MEP Patricia McKenna said: “Minister Roche’s comments that a second Lisbon referendum was needed has confirmed the public’s fear that the Government . . . intends to re-run the Lisbon vote when the time is right and an effective pro-treaty marketing strategy has been put in place”.