DUBLIN: Ireland's prime minister said on Saturday he thinks Britain and the European Union will strike a post-Brexit trade deal and that the resumption of talks this week is a good sign despite the challenges that remain.

Both sides have said they made good progress in the latest talks on a last-minute trade deal that would stave off a tumultuous finale to the five-year-old Brexit crisis, but fish is still the biggest sticking point.

"My gut instinct is that the (British) prime minister does want a deal," Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin told an online conference.