Ireland would not face any immediate threat if Greece had to default on its debts, the country's deputy prime minister said on Sunday.

It's not a situation that if Greece defaults then there are immediately implications for Ireland, Eamon Gilmore told Irish state broadcaster RTE.

If Greece defaults there are implications for the wider euro zone and obviously we are part of that.

Gilmore also said he hoped that a deal on a lower interest rate on loans from Ireland's European partners would be agreed at a meeting of European finance ministers in June.

We hope that there will be an outcome from that.

(Reporting by Carmel Crimmins; Editing by Jon Loades-Carter)