The Minister for Finance, Mr McCreevy, last night described the Irish rejection of the Nice Treaty as a "remarkably healthy development" and an anti-establishment statement of which the people should be proud.
In an extraordinary intervention, Mr McCreevy, who said that he had voted Yes in the referendum, claimed he stood by his past criticisms of the European federal project and said his view of Europe was shared by the majority of Irish political representatives and most of the people of Ireland and Europe.
His remarks come amid Government hopes to secure agreements from the EU before the end of this year, in an attempt to address voters' concerns about the treaty. But the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, has left open the timing of any second referendum and yesterday declined to confirm that any such vote would take place.
Mr McCreevy's remarks were criticised last night by the Opposition leaders. The Fine Gael leader, Mr Michael Noonan, described the comments as "reckless beyond belief" and accused the Minister of displaying "hubris and arrogance".
The Labour Party leader, Mr Ruairi Quinn, described Mr McCreevy's comments as a "bizarre" intervention that could damage Ireland's standing in the EU and challenged the authority of the Taoiseach.
Mr McCreevy said the lessons of the vote now had to be taken on board. Irish people had shown "for several hundred years" that they did not lie down easily.
"Here we had all the political parties, all of the media, both broadcast and print, all of the organisations - IBEC, the ICTU, the IFA and everybody else - yet the plain people of Ireland in their wisdom have decided to vote No. I think that's a very healthy sign," he said.
The Taoiseach and Mr McCreevy are attending the EU summit in this Swedish port city that has been marred by violent clashes between left-wing demonstrators and police. Protesters attacked shops and offices in the Swedish city centre and Mr McCreevy was trapped in his hotel for almost an hour when rioters laid siege to the building.
Mr Ahern told other EU leaders that Ireland's rejection of the treaty highlighted an anxiety about how the EU functions that is shared by citizens in other European countries.
"The result of our referendum graphically underscores what I believe all of us around this table already know: that there is, unfortunately, a widespread sense of disconnection between the institutions of the Union and its citizens. There is a frustration at what is sometimes seen as an absence of clarity, openness and responsiveness in how the Union goes about its business," he said.
Later he said the Government would set up a National Forum on Europe, based on the Forum for Peace and Reconciliation, as soon as possible.
Diplomatic sources suggest that the Government will seek declarations on military neutrality, Ireland's law on abortion and the limits of EU power. These would not affect the Nice Treaty, which the Government will not seek to renegotiate.