Mary Robinson has said that the Irish people have only themselves to blame for the country’s economic downfall.

In an interview with the Sunday Times, the former president of Ireland said that “greed was the main problem.”

While admitting that a lot of blame could be placed on people with political responsibility and in charge of banks, she said that  “it’s our own mistake as Irish people, collectively.”

Robinson, who left office three months early to take up a human rights post at the UN, said she regrets leaving the Irish presidency before her term had been fully served.

She is returning to Ireland, from where she will run her climate change organization.