The Taoiseach has said that the economy will continue to grow at "impressive" rates despite the economic slowdown.
In an address to small-business operators Mr Ahern said even though the country is in a period of readjustments the rate of growth remains impressive by international standards.
Taoiseach Bertie Ahern
He said the fundamentals of the Irish economy are strong and that it is set to pick up again in 2009 and 2010.
The Taoiseach also called for support of the Lisbon reform treaty, saying EU that membership has been "massively beneficial and greatly influential in many facets of our economy and society".
"The Reform Treaty will not only improve the way the Union functions but will support and sustain economic growth," he added.
Mr Ahern was speaking at the annual awards of the Small Firms Association in Dublin last night.
Earlier in the week Mr Ahern warned of a "hard year" ahead for the Irish economy in his most downbeat assessment to date of the repercussions of the sharp economic downturn in the US.
He said a huge range of companies in the US were facing serious problems, a situation that would have an inevitable knock-on effect on the world economy.
In a specific reference to the effects on Ireland on what many commentators say is a looming recession in the US, the Taoiseach said: "We won't escape that. What we have to try to do is keep up the growth rates.
"Employment is still being generated. It's going to be a hard year, and we need to keep working hard at it."
The Taoiseach made his comments to reporters in Dublin after the live register figures for February were published.