Brendan Smith, the agriculture minister, announced yesterday that the government would use European Union funding to buy 53 tonnes of fresh Irish cheddar and distribute it for free from 15 November.
But Irish citizens responded angrily to the plan, which was likened to the "Let them eat cake" comment by Marie Antoinette that provoked the French revolution.
The cheese will be distributed via collection centres in towns and cities across Ireland. Mr Smith said the plan was "an important means of contributing towards the well-being of the most deprived citizens in the [EU] community".
He added: "I am very conscious that many people find themselves in difficult circumstances at present and I want to commend the work of the many charitable organisations who are working on the front line to bring what comfort and relief they can."
But the initiative was immediately attacked by the opposition Fine Gael party, who called it "an insult" to the country, which is suffering the worst financial crisis in its history.The idea was met with fury when it was aired on the country's biggest radio phone-in show yesterday.
One caller to RTÉ's Joe Duffy phone-in said: "The fact that Marie Antoinette said 'let them eat cake' was the beginning of the revolution – is that what they want?"
Another caller said: "Have they taken leave of their senses? It's not cheese that people who have lost their jobs that people are worried about, it's about how they're going to tell their children or grandchildren that Santa has very little money.
"What are they going to tell their children and grandchildren: that Santa has cheese instead?"
The initiative is funded by the EU's food aid programme, which has been running since 1987 in reaction to a particularly cold winter.
One angry Dubliner last night. "This is just crackers. The scheme is full of holes. This is the last straw - it's really grated on the whole community."
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