Opposition politicians and economic commentators have been passing judgment on Taoiseach Brian Cowen's first 100 days in office.

The general consensus has not been approving, although Ryanair chief Michael O'Leary has been supportive and signaled his conviction that Cowen is capable of taking the necessary tough decisions to steer the country safely through the mounting crisis.

The main attack came, unsurprisingly, from Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny, who accused Cowen of leading Ireland into a recession. Kenny claimed that the taoiseach's first 100 days in power had been a failure.

Kenny was critical of government handling of the Lisbon Treaty referendum, when Ireland voted down a deal designed to streamline the EU. Kenny also accused Cowen of seeming to have little idea as to how to solve the economic crisis.

"In just 100 days we have seen a loss of confidence in the economy, the failure of the Lisbon Treaty referendum, a dramatic fall in employment and investment in the construction industry, the collapse of the national pay talks, and crude attempts by the government to cloud its failures by raiding the National Pension Reserve Fund and by attempting to re-introduce third-level education fees," he said.

Kenny's comments came after Justice Minister Dermot Ahern defended Cowen's tenure in office which started on May 7 and reached 100 days last Friday.

Ahern insisted that "substantial progress" had been made across a wide range of areas. He claimed Cowen's response to the deterioration in the economy had been "decisive" and that the new government had "many solid achievements" to its credit.

But Kenny, in a scathing attack, warned that unless Cowen "gets a grip on both himself and the economy" untold damage would be done to the country.

Kenny raged, "Brian Cowen has led Ireland into a recession and presided over the worst deterioration in the public finances in the history of the state.

"From a general government surplus of 2.9% of GDP in 2006, the country is now facing the prospect of a deficit of over 3% later this year."

Kenny said those statistics added up to a deterioration of almost $15 billion in just two years.

Ryanair's O'Leary proved to be an unexpected champion for Cowen.

In a wide-ranging interview in the Sunday Independent on what steps he believes are necessary to reverse the slide, O'Leary predicted things will get worse before they get better. He called for a wholesale clear-out of all "needless" state boards including the National Consumer Agency which he described as a "rubbish" organization designed to provide a board seat for former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern's ex-girlfriend Celia Larkin.

But O'Leary also said he believed both Cowen and Finance Minister Brian Lenihan are up to the task ahead.

"I think in Brian Cowen you have a very good taoiseach. In Brian Lenihan you have potentially a very good minister for finance," he said.