Conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh has slammed President Obama’s trip to Ireland saying  Americans should start calling him ‘Paddy’ and saying it was a ruse to win the Irish American vote.

Limbaugh has an audience of over 30 million listeners weekly to his show and is by far the biggest radio host in the US.

He stated; “When he goes to Africa, he tries to pass himself off as a Kenyan. And if he goes to the Middle East he tries to pass himself off as Barack ‘al-Obama.’ And if he goes down to Selma he tries to pass himself off as a guy from down the street—totally disingenuous guy,” Limbaugh said.

He also stated “we ought to start calling him Paddy,” a traditional Irish nickname for “Patrick.”

Limbaugh’ took issue especially  with Obama going to  Moneygall, the tiny Offaly town  to meet descendants of his relative Falmouth Kearney saying the real reason  was to court the Irish American vote.

“Why make a big deal out of having some great-great-great-grandfather he probably never heard of until this week that’s from Ireland?” Limbaugh said. “Why make a big deal out of having Irish roots?” he said.

“What does it matter to statecraft? What does it matter to the job? It’s a pure campaign stop. The Irish vote in America is sizable. It’s pretty large, you’d be surprised, and he’s angling for it pure and simple.”

Limbaugh’s comments are bound to cause controversy with many Irish Americans seeing the term Paddy as offensive and often used in a pejorative context.