IRISH authorities are awaiting DNA results on a child they removed from a Roma family in Dublin, as the couple she lived with insisted she was theirs amid comparisons with an abduction case in Greece.

The child was removed from the family's home southwest of the capital on Monday and taken into the care of the Health Service Executive, police and a charity said.

Police took action after concerns that the seven-year-old girl, who has blonde hair and blue eyes, did not look like her parents and they could not prove her identity, according to media reports.

But Gabby Muntean, a support worker who has been in regular contact with the family, told the Irish Times newspaper the family was insisting the child was theirs.

"They are very upset. They have told me the child is 100 per cent theirs and have offered blood tests and DNA tests to prove this," she said.

"Now, they just want their daughter back. It is hard to see any reason why this happened, other than the reports from Greece."

The case emerged after a Roma couple in Greece were charged on Monday with abducting a blonde girl found in their care.

According to media reports, the couple in Ireland produced a birth certificate and a passport for their daughter but the documents failed to satisfy police.

The girl's sister told the Irish Independent newspaper that she was a member of the family who had lived with them since her birth in 2006.

"I don't know why she was taken," the 21-year-old said, adding that her sister "was crying and very scared, she was choking".

She said the family had come from Romania in 2001 but had lived in Tallaght, southwest Dublin, since 2009.

"My little brother also has blonde hair and blue eyes," the young woman added.

DNA tests are expected to reveal whether the girl is related to her parents, with results expected as swiftly as Wednesday afternoon.

Due to strong child protection laws in Ireland, authorities are unable to publicly reveal details on individual cases and neither the child nor her family can be named.

Pavee Point, a charity which campaigns for Irish Traveller and Roma rights, confirmed to AFP that a Roma family was involved but warned against jumping to any conclusions.

Roma communities around the world are in the spotlight after the discovery of the girl in Greece, known as Maria and dubbed the "blonde angel" by local media.

DNA tests revealed the child, believed to be five or six years old, was not related to the couple who claimed to be her parents, a 39-year-old Roma man and his 40-year-old wife.

The couple are being held in pre-trial detention but deny the charge of abduction, saying she was voluntarily handed over by her Bulgarian Roma mother who could not care for her.

The case has prompted thousands of calls from parents of missing children from around the world.