Other eurozone countries and the European Central Bank had pushed Dublin to accept help after anxiety over Ireland's massive bank-bailout bill threatened to spill over to the currency area's other shaky economies, including Portugal and Spain.

An official in French Finance Minister Christine Lagarde's office said Lagarde joined other eurozone finance ministers on a conference call Sunday evening, but declined to comment on the timing and precise details of the talks. The talks "could go on for hours," said the official, who spoke only on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter.

The request for help from the EU and the International Monetary Fund is a humiliating turnaround for the Irish government, which only days ago had denied that such a package was being negotiated or was even necessary.

It also dashes the hopes of other members of the 16-country currency union that the mere existence of a euro750 billion ($1025.55 billion) financial backstop set up in May would suffice to quell concern over several nations' massive debt levels.

Ireland's Finance Minister Brian Lenihan refused to give a precise figure on the fund, saying only that it would reach tens of billions of euros. He denied the figure would top euro100 billion ($136.7 billion), as some had speculated.

"I will be recommending to the government that we should apply for this program," a somber Lenihan told Irish state broadcaster RTE. The Irish cabinet is expected to sign off on the request later Sunday.