The Minister for Gaeltacht Affairs was accused of "crazy logic" in his attitude to the Irish language.
The charge against Mr Ó Cuív was made by the Labour spokesman, Mr Brian O'Shea, who asked the Minister to elaborate on his comment that the outcry against the singing of the Irish national anthem in English at the Ryder Cup was evidence that the vast majority of people had a positive attitude towards the language.
"We need to be much more accurate and scientific in what we say," said Mr O'Shea.
Mr Ó Cuív said an allegation had been made that there was "general bad will" towards the language, with just a few people interested in it.
"While travelling throughout the country, everywhere I go I find general goodwill towards the language. There has been research on this issue in the past," he added.
"While I have a science background, the reality is that one of the best tests of popular opinion is the mood of this House.
"One thing that can be said of politicians of all colours is that they tend to get the way the wind is blowing fairly fast. Allowing for the fact that this House reflects the view of the people, there appears to be goodwill towards the language."
Mr Ó Cuív said the fact that everyone sang the national anthem in Irish indicated that there was not a general antipathy towards the language, because if that were the case, people would sing it in English.
Mr O'Shea claimed that the Minister's statement was "unscientific", adding that the attitude of the vast majority of the population was not known.
"We will not know that unless and until qualitative research is carried out or, alternatively, there is a referendum on the matter," he added.
"My basic point is that a daft statement such as this damages the movement that seeks to preserve and promote the Irish language."
Based on the Minister's reply, Mr O'Shea said they were getting a little bit of "looking into our hearts and seeing what the Irish people want". They needed to know what people in general thought about the language before they could move forward.
Mr Ó Cuív said: "A comprehensive policy is being followed in regard to the language. We must be careful about research, which is often largely influenced by how one asks a question."
The Minister said that he was a great believer in the wisdom of the political system. "It is often the best opinion poll of all, because sometimes the antennae of politicians are much more accurate than surveys since sometimes questions are loaded to provide a specific answer," he added.
Mr O'Shea remarked: "I am sure the Minister believes the waffle we have just heard has some significance."
"It is a fact," replied Mr Ó Cuív.
