The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Ahern, has said he would not rule out the Government providing additional financial aid to the victims of the St Stephen's Day tsunami in the Indian Ocean.
Separately, the President, Mrs McAleese, has said that questions must be asked about how information which could have saved lives was not available to those in the disaster zone.
While the Government has already pledged €10 million in aid, Mr Ahern told The Irish Times last night that it was ready to step up to the plate and do more if it was considered necessary.
The Minister also said that the Taoiseach had held talks yesterday morning with himself and the Minister for Defence, Mr O'Dea, about the possibility of sending soldiers to assist with the relief operation in the region.
Mrs McAleese said after the the World Day of Peace Mass in Dublin on New Year's Day that there were Irish people whose hearts were broken because they have not heard from their family members caught up in the tsunami.
"I think we want to ask questions about how information that could have saved lives could be available in one part of the world and doesn't reach another part of the world," she told reporters after the Mass.
"It is a devastating reality to know that someone might have had the knowledge and possibly had it in time to have done something but there was no apparent conduit for that information to have done some good."
The Taoiseach said the loss of life, injury and damage to property and infrastructure had reached unparalleled proportions.
Responding to the message of Pope John Paul on World Peace Day, Mr Ahern said the international community must recommit itself to the ideals of the United Nations in the face of the threats and challenges of the new century.
"2005 can be the year in which the UN enhances its central role as a credible source of effective action and collective security," he said.
"Ireland will contribute actively and with imagination in the months ahead to the debate on the future role and structures of the UN."
The Pope said in his statement that humanity's first priority must be to "further peace through common means, giving importance to dialogue, to acts of justice and forgiveness".
Liam Reid adds:
The Department of the Environment is to consider issuing a direction allowing local authority staff to go on "special leave" to take part in the rescue and relief effort in south-east Asia.
It follows a call from the General Council of County Councils, which represents councillors around the State, which suggested that emergency and engineering specialists on council staff may want to travel to countries as part of aid agency teams who were working to prevent a major humanitarian disaster.
Irish aid agencies have said that scores of experts in engineering and emergency planning were needed to help deal with the situation, including military personnel if necessary.
Mr Bill Carey, a Meath county councillor and chairman of the general council, said many council staff involved in fire and civil defence work had emergency planning expertise and may want to volunteer for short stints with Irish aid agencies, but would need to be given special leave to do so.
This would require a special exemption or direction from the Department of the Environment.
Last night a spokesman for the department said it would "actively examine" the proposal from the general council.