A junior minister says he does not think he was wrong to ask gardaí to give him a lift from Mitchelstown to Dublin Airport - a round trip of over 420 kilometres.

European Affairs Minister Dara Murphy says he sought help after his car broke down on the motorway outside Mitchelstown on September 13th.

After unsuccessful attempts to get a taxi, he and his driver contacted Fermoy garda station and two on-duty officers then drove him to the airport.

Speaking to Cork's 96fm, Minister Murphy claims he had to make a judgement call about the use of the squad car.

He says he ensured that garda resources were not being distracted from other use, and that he would have "no issue" apologising.

But his constituency colleague in Cork North-Central, Sinn Féin's Jonathan O'Brien, says Minister Murphy put the gardaí in a difficult position.

"For Dara to put two members of the force in that situation was a poor judgement call on his own behalf" he told Newstalk Breakfast.

"He could have said to them 'look lads, I'm really, really stuck here - I have an important meeting, I have to get to Dublin Airport - can you organise to drop me into Mitchelstown, can you organise to ring a cab?'".

"But you don't ask them to drive you to Dublin, because it does put them in a very, very difficult position" he added.