A conference is taking place in Dublin this afternoon to discuss the sale of Ireland's natural resources.

The event is hosted by People Before Profit TD Richard Boyd-Barrett who says it will look at alternatives to selling the rights to Ireland's forests, oil and gas resources.

Economic historian Dr Helge Ryggvik says Ireland should take a similar stance to Norway which taxes revenue earned by multinationals on Norwegian oil at 78 per cent.

He says the oil companies are taking advantage of Ireland's economic difficulties: