Improving the effectiveness of aid is widely recognised as a key to achieving poverty reduction in developing countries and hence achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). There is a broad consensus in theory on how donors can work to make aid more effective. Such a consensus highlights the need to operationalise core principles such as ownership and partnership. Three recent studies, however, have highlighted serious shortcomings in donor practices in this area, demonstrating a growing gap between rhetorical commitments and actual practice. This article examines current donor practices in relation to aid effectiveness and makes recommendations for the Irish aid programme in the light of the forthcoming White Paper.