The Taoiseach says the Government has to step up preparations for Brexit.
Leo Varadkar was speaking after a cabinet meeting in Derrynane, Co. Kerry.
It's after British Prime Minister Theresa May faced strong opposition from within her own party over her government's approach to leaving the EU.
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar today said that's forced the Government here to act.
He explained: "With Brexit now eight months away, and growing uncertainty about whether it will be possible to get a withdrawal agreement through Westminster... we do need to change the gear, and up our preparations when it comes to Brexit.
"That's going to involve communicating with the public and with industry what we're doing, and will also mean preparations beginning now in our ports, our airports."
He added: "We estimate that the number of people we'll have to hire over the course of the next year is about 1,000 people - that's customs and veterinary inspectors to prepare our ports and airports for Brexit."
Ministers are holding a special away day cabinet meeting in Derrynane in Kerry this morning to discuss Brexit contingency plans pic.twitter.com/MweajgGYWr
— Sean Defoe (@SeanDefoe) July 18, 2018
Meanwhile, Boris Johnson - who resigned from Theresa May's cabinet over her Brexit plans - today claimed the Irish border issue has 'dominated' the Brexit debate.
In a resignation speech before the House of Commons, he argued: "We allowed the question of the Northern Irish border, which had hitherto been assumed on all sides to be readily soluble, to become so politically charged as to dominate the debate.
He suggested there can be 'checks away from the border' and 'technical solutions' to address the border issue, but claimed such proposals were 'never even properly examined'.
He added that it was "not too late to save Brexit".
