Fianna Fáil TD Cathal Crowe has apologized after claiming in the Dáil yesterday, Wednesday, May 28, that the British Army never bombed or shot the civilian population of Ireland.
TD Crowe made the comments during a debate about a motion, tabled by Labour TD Duncan Smith, that "demands UN action on Gaza genocide."
During the debate, TD Crowe, who represents Clare, 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."
The British army was a bad actor on this island for any 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 @CathalCroweTD
— Mick Caul (@caulmick) May 28, 2025
(School… https://t.co/HBoXNRWcER pic.twitter.com/Dj6dVCGm4N
"Vicious lie"
Later on Wednesday, Aengus Ó Snodaigh TD, Sinn Féin's spokesperson for Gaeilge, Gaeltacht, Arts and Culture, called on Crowe to "make a full apology for this vicious lie, both to the victims of British violence specifically and to the wider Irish public, and to formally correct the record of the Dáil."
Ó Snodaigh accused Crowe of "erasing the countless victims of British state violence in Ireland, North and South, victims and families who continue to fight for justice to this day."
He said: “The conflict in the North of Ireland was defined by the brutal murder of civilians by the British army, from the Ballymurphy massacre to Bloody Sunday, not to mention when prisoners at Long Kesh were subjected to bombing with CR gas."
He also highlighted how British forces opened fire in Dublin's Croke Park on Bloody Sunday in 1920, and later facilitated the fatal Dublin Monaghan bombings in 1974.
He added: "It’s probably time, however, for Fianna Fáil to drop the title of 'Republican Party' if they are unaware of the British ever shooting civilians in Ireland."
Fianna Fáil’s Cathal Crowe must apologise for denying fact: The British army did bomb and shoot Irish civilians - @aosnodaigh
"In his attempt to rewrite history, Teachta Crowe is erasing the countless victims of British state violence in Ireland."https://t.co/lnBQXRv1kZ
— Sinn Féin (@sinnfeinireland) May 28, 2025
"Off the cuff"
On Thursday, Crowe, a former history teacher, moved to clarify his comments, correct the Dáil record, and apologize "profusely to anyone who may have been offended by my comments."
He said in the Dáil: "The speech I made was during the debate 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 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 Israel Defense Forces' actions in Gaza.
"I also wanted to convey the huge disproportionality the Israeli state has adopted following the reprehensible Hamas attack on 7 October 2023.
"Regrettably, speaking largely off the cuff, I clumsily and wrongly stated that they 'never retaliated by bombing or shooting the civilian population of Ireland.'
"Let me be clear. It was not my intention to say this. I did not realise how woeful all of that sounded until late last night when I received the transcript of what I actually said. It was a genuine slip-up on my part, but it was wrong. I wish to unequivocally and profusely apologise."
Crowe went on to note that he studied history in college and later taught it in the classroom. He said he is a republican and noted how he led a 2020 boycott of a controversial State commemoration of the Royal Irish Constabulary.
He continued: "I know that the British armed forces have been involved in many heinous attacks on Irish people historically, including Bloody Sunday in Croke Park in 1920, the massacre of 26 civilians in Derry’s Bogside in 1972, and the countless other actions in recent history and further back for which they are responsible.
"My family also suffered at the hands of British military in the past.
"I make this apology entirely of my own volition, and it is genuine.
"My apology is to the victims of British state terror and atrocities.
"My apology is also to those who care about Irish history and the accuracy with which it should be conveyed.
"I want to see a united Ireland, and I yearn for the day when there are no more British military personnel on this island. I want to see continued peace in our nation in accordance with the Good Friday Agreement.
"The next time I speak on any of these matters, I will use a better prepared speaking note that accurately conveys what I wish to say rather than speaking off the cuff and causing unintentional hurt and offence."
After again admitting that he was wrong and apologizing, Crowe said: "The focus of yesterday’s debate was Gaza, and we need to get back to that.
"While a lot has been done by the Irish Government, I feel that the international community could do more. I will continue my personal efforts in the Dáil to speak up and stand up for the people who suffering unimaginably."
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