Enda Kenny criticised for marching in New York St Patrick's Day parade

Taoiseach Enda Kenny’s decision to march in New York’s controversial St Patrick’s Day parade left him isolated as other Government figures questioned his judgment.

New York’s newly elected Democratic mayor Bill de Blasio is boycotting the event due to its exclusion of gay and lesbian recognition.

Leading Fine Gael backbencher Jerry Buttimer has joined those expressing concern at the Taoiseach’s participation, as the Cork TD announced he would “prefer” it if Mr Kenny did not take part.

Social Protection Minister and deputy Labour leader Joan Burton said she would not be attending the parade despite being in New York at the time.

The controversy came as Children’s Minister Frances Fitzgerald denied there was a single homophobe in the Fine Gael parliamentary party after Dublin Archbishop Diarmuid Martin admitted there may be some in the Catholic Church using its teaching against gay people.

Mr Buttimer, who drew widespread praise last week for a Dáil speech in which he revealed he had been “beaten, spat at, and harassed” for being gay, said the least the Taoiseach could do to support equality was to push for a change in the way parade organisers operated.

“Ideally, I would prefer it if the Taoiseach did not march in the parade. But I can also understand why he feels the need to put Ireland in the window of the world, as it were,” Mr Buttimer said.

He urged Mr Kenny to use his presence at the march to try and influence organisers to open up the event to gay and lesbian groups in future.

Mr Kenny insisted he would go ahead with his plans.

“I’d say to everybody: St Patrick’s Day is a day for Ireland celebrating worldwide... For that reason, I think it’s very important that we celebrate that and obviously as one who’ll attend in New York, I intend to participate in it,” he said.

Mr Kenny dismissed pleas to use his influence with organisers, stating: “I don’t organise the parade in Cork or Dublin or New York. I go there as a visitor, as somebody who is invited to the United States, to engage with the Irish community.

“It is not for me to determine the conditions that apply for a parade in New York or Boston or Chicago or anywhere else,” Mr Kenny said.

Ms Burton said she had attended the parade two years ago because she believed attitudes were changing, but would not participate this year as gay and lesbian groups are still excluded.

“My understanding two years ago was that there were very positive moves to make the parades much more inclusive,” she told Newstalk Breakfast.

“In the context of the mayor saying that, until the parade is more inclusive, he is standing aside from it. I attended the reviewing stand briefly when I was there. I also met the gay groups. I advised the Tánaiste that if I went to New York, unless that progress was forthcoming, I wouldn’t be going [to the parade].”