Inequality is starkly evident here, says charity

Oxfam Ireland are asking the Government and Opposition parties to create a "more equitable Ireland", and have said that "deprivation has grown".

Jim Clarken, CEO of Oxfam Ireland, last night said that "global inequality is not just the harsh reality for the developing world", and that "it is also starkly evident here".

"It is quietly thriving in communities across the country. We all know too well the impact of severe cuts in Ireland in recent years," Mr Clarken said.

He said that inequality is now "inevitable" and is a result of policy choices.

"We have the power to change this. I'm asking politicians from the Government and Opposition parties to make inequality a key issue in the next election and to consider policies that can reduce it," Mr Clarken added.

Also speaking at last night's event was Winnie Byanyima, the executive director of Oxfam International, and she believes that economic inequality "is now out of control".

"We are now in a situation where most poor people live in middle income countries. The extreme concentration of wealth that we see in the world today tears apart the social fabric. Ordinary people have taken to the streets to say the gap between the rich and the poor is too big," she added.