Latest news with #CathalCrowe
RTÉ News
4 days ago
- Politics
- RTÉ News
FF TD Cathal Crowe clears up comparison of Israel to Britain
During a Dáil debate on Wednesday, Clare Fianna Fáil TD, Cathal Crowe criticised Israel's "eye-for-an-eye approach" in the aftermath of the Hamas-led 7 October 2023 attack on southern Israel, and compared it to Britian's approach to Ireland. Yesterday, after a wave of criticism, he apologised. He discusses the incident with Gavin Jennings.
Irish Examiner
4 days ago
- Politics
- Irish Examiner
Martin criticises 'over-reaction' as Cathal Crowe apologises for remarks about British Army
A Fianna Fáil TD has apologised for claiming in the Dáil that no British soldiers had ever shot or bombed the civilian population of Ireland. Clare TD Cathal Crowe has formally corrected the Dáil record over his comments, after significant criticism was levelled against him. During a speech in the Dáil on Wednesday on Gaza, Mr Crowe said the ongoing bombardment of Gaza and withholding of aid is the 'worst we have seen in our lifetime'. Mr Crowe then compared the actions of the Israeli government to the actions of the British army in Ireland. 'The British army was a bad actor on this island for many centuries but even in the worst of days, when its cities were being bombed by the terror organisations of the IRA, it never retaliated by bombing and shooting the civilian population of Ireland,' Mr Crowe said. HISTORY HUB If you are interested in this article then no doubt you will enjoy exploring the various history collections and content in our history hub. Check it out HERE and happy reading Fr Edward Daly, later Bishop Daly, with a group of men trying to bring 17-year-old Jackie Duddy to safety during Bloody Sunday on January 30, 1972, when British troops opened fire on unarmed civilians in Derry. Duddy was the first of 13 people to die that day. His comments were seized upon by Sinn Féin, with the party's Gaeltacht spokesperson Aengus Ó Snodaigh describing Mr Crowe's speech 'as appaling as it is untrue'. In a statement on Thursday, Mr Crowe said he wanted to 'apologise profusely" to anyone offended by his comments. Mr Crowe said he made his speech without a script. 'I began by stating that the Israeli eye-for-an-eye approach has been reprehensible and that the bombing of hospitals, schools and tents alongside the killing of babies, including many new newborn babies in hospitals, amounts to genocide and ethnic cleansing. I then wanted to make the point that brutal, bad and all as the British armed forces have been on this island for a very long time, they never resorted to sending over the Royal Air Force, tanks and missiles to pummel Irish cities. Mr Crowe said he wanted to convey the 'huge disproportionality' that Israel has adopted on attacking Gaza since the October 7 attack. He added that he had 'clumsily and wrongly stated' that British forces had never bombed and shot Irish civilians. 'Let me be very clear, it was not my intention to say this, and I didn't realise how woeful all of that sounded until late last night when I received the transcript of what I had actually said,' Mr Crowe said. Palestinians collect belongings from a school used as a shelter by displaced residents which was struck twice by Israeli army strikes on Tuesday, May 6, killing more than 25 people, in Bureij, Gaza. Picture: Abdel Kareem Hana/AP While Mr Crowe apologised, Taoiseach Micheál Martin said there had been an 'over-reaction" to his comments. He confirmed that he had not told Mr Crowe to apologise and had rather counselled him that "everything is in perspective". "We don't need any lessons in terms of Northern Ireland and the pain and violence, and yes, the British state was responsible for Bloody Sunday, Ballymurphy, and much, much more, in terms of what it did," Mr Martin said Mr Martin said that Mr Crowe was a "very solid TD and did not need to be corrected". Read More Fianna Fáil TD apologises for inaccurate Dáil claim about British army actions in Ireland
Irish Daily Mirror
4 days ago
- Politics
- Irish Daily Mirror
Taoiseach defends Cathal Crowe following apology for remarks on British army
Taoiseach Micheál Martin has stated that Fianna Fáil TD Cathal Crowe 'doesn't need to be correcting things' following his comments suggesting the British never 'bombed or shot' Irish civilians. The Fianna Fáil leader also confirmed that he did not tell the TD to apologise in the Dáil. The Clare TD was criticised by Sinn Féin for the comments during a Labour motion on the situation in Gaza on Wednesday. He said: 'The British army was a bad actor on this island for many centuries, but even in the worst of days, when its cities were being bombed by the terror organisations of the IRA, it never retaliated by bombing and shooting the civilian population of Ireland.' On Thursday morning, Mr Crowe was given an opportunity by the Ceann Comhairle to make a personal statement. He said: 'I apologise profusely to anyone that may have been offended by my comments. 'The speech I made was during the debate that this house had on Gaza. 'I was speaking without a scripted speech, and instead, using a series of bullet points. 'I began by stating that the Israeli eye-for-an-eye approach has been reprehensible, and that the bombing of hospitals, schools and tents, alongside the killing of babies, including many newborn babies in hospitals, amounts to genocide and ethnic cleansing. 'I then wanted to make the point that brutal, bad and all as the British armed forces have been on this island for a very long time, they never resorted to sending over the Royal Air Force tanks and missiles to pummel Irish cities. 'I wanted to convey the magnitude and the visceral hatred which has been behind the Israeli Defence Forces' actions in Gaza and I also wanted to convey the huge disproportionality that the Israeli state has adopted following their reprehensible Hamas attacks of October 7, 2023. 'Regrettably, speaking largely off the cuff, I clumsily and wrongly stated, 'They never retaliated by bombing or shooting the civilian population of Ireland'. 'Let me be very clear, it was not my intention to say this, and I didn't realise how woeful all of that sounded until late last night when I received the transcript of what I had actually said. 'It was a genuine slip up on my part, but it was wrong, and I wish to unequivocally and profusely apologise.' Speaking at Bord Bia Bloom, Mr Martin said he thought the situation had been blown out of proportion as he insisted that he did not tell Mr Crowe to make the Dáil statement. The Taoiseach said: 'Cathal Crowe is a very solid TD and he doesn't need to be wrecked. 'I think people need to be careful not to be overreacting here. We have a peace process in Ireland that was sustained. We're at peace. 'I'm building reconciliation in Northern Ireland through the Shared Island Programme. There's no need to be fighting old wars. 'I don't think it merits this focus. I said to him, 'Everything is in perspective'. That's all. 'Cathal's views on the North are well known. Cathal's views, he studied history himself, are well known. 'He doesn't need to be correcting things, as far as I'm concerned. My view is things get said in the context of Gaza.' Mr Martin told one journalist to 'calm down' when he was asked if it was embarrassing and reminiscent of the controversial Fine Gael attempt to commemorate the RIC in 2020. The Taoiseach also said that Sinn Féin will try to 'provoke this and that kind of nonsense'.
Belfast Telegraph
4 days ago
- Politics
- Belfast Telegraph
‘A genuine slip-up': TD apologises after claiming British Army never bombed or shot civilians in Ireland
A Fianna Fáil TD has apologised for falsely stating that the British Army never bombed or shot any civilians over centuries in Ireland. Cathal Crowe, from Clare, shocked Deputies when he made the remark – adding immediately afterwards that he was something of a historian – during a discussion of the Israeli army's activities in Gaza.
Irish Independent
4 days ago
- Politics
- Irish Independent
‘A genuine slip-up' – TD Cathal Crowe apologises after claiming British Army never bombed or shot civilians in Ireland
Cathal Crowe, from Clare, shocked TDs when he made the remark – adding immediately afterwards that he was something of a historian – during a discussion of the Israeli army's activities in Gaza. Today, Mr Crowe apologised to 'the victims of British terror and atrocities' in the Dáil. He said he wanted to correct the record over the remarks. 'My apology is also to those of you who care about Irish history and the accuracy with which it should be conveyed,' he said in a personal statement. 'I wanted to make the point that brutal, bad, and all as the British armed forces have been on this island for a very long time, they never resorted to sending over the Royal Air Force, tanks and missiles to pummel Irish cities. 'Regrettably, speaking largely off the cuff, I clumsily and wrongly stated that 'they never retaliated by bombing and shooting the civilian population of Ireland'. Let me be very clear. It was not my intention to say this, and I didn't realise how woeful all of that was until late last night when I received the transcript of what I had actually said. 'It was a genuine slip-up on my part, but it was wrong – and I wish to today unequivocally and profusely apologise.' The British Army 'has been involved in many heinous attacks on Irish people historically', he said. His own family 'also suffered at the hands in the past of the British military', he added, referring to atrocities in Clare during the War of Independence. Mr Crowe said: 'My apology is to the victims of British terror and atrocities. My apology is also to those of you who care about Irish history and the accuracy with which it should be conveyed.' He is a former history teacher, and previously called for a boycott to oppose former justice minister Charlie Flanagan's efforts to commemorate the Royal Irish Constabulary. The event caused an outcry and was soon scrapped.
