Comedian Billy Connolly has said he is ‘proud’ he called an Irish photographer a ‘f**king c**t’ on stage in Kerry.

The Scottish star has been slammed after his foul mouthed tirade against Valerie O’Sullivan in Killarney on Thursday night.

Local politician Michael Healy Rae has claimed that Connolly should be banned from performing in Ireland until he apologises.

Connolly lashed out when O’Sullivan, official photographer at the Gleneagles venue, photographer him during the show.

He stopped his performance and asked:  “Are you taking photographs of me. Yeah you, you’re still taking photographs of me.”

Initially the audience laughed, thinking it was part of the show, before Connolly turned on the photographer.

He continued: “I’m serious, stop it,” before adding: “Will someone come here and see to this f**king c**t.”

The Sunday Independent reports that Connolly is ‘proud’ of his outburst.

He said: “I was kind of rude to her, I didn’t know it was a woman, I could only see her in the shadows halfway up the hall.

“I told her to go away and then I told her to go away in a Glaswegian way.

“I don’t regret it. Certainly not, I am very proud of it.”

Award-winning photographer O’Sullivan has been contacted by Mr Connolly’s management.

The paper reports that she told them that she observed the protocols involved in taking photographs, as she did at every concert.

She also told them that when she asked for permission to leave the mixing desk and move to the centre of the hall one of Billy Connolly’s aides told her ‘that’s OK – go ahead’.

O’Sullivan has declined to comment publicly on the incident.

Local deputy Michael Healy Rae said: “I think he should not get up on a stage and do a show again until such time as he apologises.”