Martin criticises 'over-reaction' as Cathal Crowe apologises for remarks about British Army

Fianna Fáil TD for Clare Cathal Crowe speaking in the Dáil. He apologised for his remarks there on Wednesday, saying he had been trying to convey the 'huge disproportionality' of Israel's attacks on Gaza. Picture: PA

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 14 people killed by the British Army's actions 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 appalling 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".