Irish President Michael D Higgins has declared himself ashamed of the boastful way some Irish people conducted themselves during the Celtic Tiger.

Speaking to the Irish Examiner, the Galway man says that the Irish got too big for their boots during the boom and this did not go unnoticed by their European counterparts.

‘I think it’s probably fair to say that during the period of the Celtic Tiger, there was a certain amount of boastfulness by some of the Irish about our economy.

"They were inclined to give lectures about how others could be as good as the Irish. I’ve always felt very unhappy about all of that. It’s quite embarrassing really, and that was picked up on abroad," he said.

The President then expressed his sympathy for the youth of today as they are forced to emigrate in order to find jobs and hopes that they will have jobs to return home to soon.

"Now our young people are better educated than most of the same age in any European country. But in a way, our highly educated young people are subsidising everyone else’s economy now. Hopefully we’ll not lose contact with those who emigrated in recent years, and in time they will return and be able to apply their intelligence here."