Cowen was Minister for Agriculture for just 17 days.
Barry Cowen has been sacked from his role as Minister for Agriculture by Micheál Martin on Tuesday night.
This came after it emerged that Cowen was issued with a three month driving ban after he was found to be drink-driving in September of 2016.
The Taoiseach said: "He accepted what he did was absolutely wrong and he apologised to all members. I accepted that his remorse was genuine and I accepted his apology.
"The challenges facing this government are unprecedented. It is in everyone's interest that the government not be distracted in any way."
He continued: "This is a very sad day for Barry, his family and for me. He has been a very committed public representative, very diligent and very dedicated."
Micheál Martin said that he has temporarily assigned himself the role of Agriculture Minister until a replacement is chosen.
Martin's full statement in the Dáil can be seen here:
https://twitter.com/rtenews/status/1283130297396207617?s=20
Cowen has since released a statement, which can be seen
here.
