Governor of the Central Bank Patrick Honohan has told the Ballyhea group campaigning for a writedown of Ireland's debt that he will not recommend a meeting between it and the governing council of the European Central Bank.

The Central Bank declined to comment on the meeting yesterday between Mr Honohan and campaigners Diarmuid O'Flynn and Fiona Fitzpatrick, along with Independent MEPs Nessa Childers and Luke "Ming" Flanagan and Independent TDs Stephen Donnelly and Peter Mathews.

Mr O’Flynn said after the meeting that Mr Honohan reluctantly agreed to write to the governing council about the group’s request to meet them with the Independent MEPs and TDs but he would not recommend it because “he did not want to use up the remaining credit he had with the governing council”.

The group has marched against the €31 billion promissory note in the village of Ballyhea, Co Cork for the past 178 Sundays. Mr O’Flynn said that no matter what Mr Honohan says and what the Government does, “we are determined to keep campaigning”.