Labour Party leader Eamon Gilmore has denied that recent media coverage surrounding the sale by his wife of land for a Galway school was embarrassing for him.
Mr Gilmore's wife Carol Hanney received €525,000 from the State for the site in 2007
Ms Hanney responded to a public advertisement seeking land for a new school in Killimor, in the east of Co Galway.
The 2½ acre site, which was part of land Ms Hanney inherited from her late mother, was sold to the Office of Public Works (OPW) acting on behalf of the Department of Education.
Separately, Ms Hanney subsequently received €10,000 for a smaller adjoining site for use as a “hurling pitch” following an approach from the local parish priest, Mr Gilmore said.
Speaking on RTÉ's News at One this afternoon, Mr Gilmore said his wife was entitled to do "as she saw fit" with the land.
“This is land Carol inherited from her late mother. She was approached by the board of management of the school to make the site available. It was publicly advertised by the OPW and independently valued," he said.
Asked if the Taoiseach’s wife Mary Cowen had owned the land whether the Labour Party would think it was nothing to do with Brian Cowen, Mr Gilmore said “he couldn’t recall any time the Labour Party had made an issue of what the spouse of a politician has done with land he or she inherited”.