Connemara councillor Tomás Ó Curraoin has responded with searing criticism to the announcement that Britain’s King Charles will visit Ireland next year.
It was confirmed last month that the British monarch had accepted an invition from President Catherine Connolly to come to Ireland on an official state visit some time in 2027.
However, Cllr Ó Curraoin was not reticent in expressing his opposition to the British aristocracy when speaking to the Advertiser.
“Toxic, toxic, toxic, toxic, toxic. Any of them, from top to bottom — and I’d like that printed now,” the Barna man said.
“Sure the King of England is the Commander-in-Chief of the British Crown forces that still occupy our country.
“I’m in opposition to anyone with English power coming to Ireland while our six counties are held.”
Cllr Ó Curraoin is a member of Republican Sinn Féin - a faction which split from Sinn Féin at the party’s Ard-Fheis in 1986 following a vote in favour of members taking their seats in Dáil Éireann if elected.
Republican Sinn Féin do not recognise the legitimacy of the Irish government or the Dáil, and are widely understood to have close ties to the dissident paramiltary group known as the Continuity IRA.
“While they hold our six counties, they are, in my book and in the book of Republican Sinn Féin, unwelcome here — whether it’s king, prime minister, or any officials belonging to the crown,” Cllr Ó Curraoin said.
“They’ve been here since 1169, I believe. They’ve had 850-odd years to get the hell out of here and let us decide our own future in an all-Ireland parliament. That’s why I don’t recognise the Free State government either.
“That’s my belief, and that’s the way I’ll stay until we have our freedom.”
The councillor for Connemara South also referenced the Great Famine in his condemnation of the British crown.
“A few weeks ago, I believe there was a commemoration in Portumna for the Famine. And now they’re bringing the Commander-in-Chief of the British Crown forces,” he said.
“They’re bringing him here — the very same crowd that caused the genocide in Ireland. It wasn’t a famine, because they shifted all the grain and meat out of the country.”
Cllr Ó Curraoin however added that his opposition to the British government and the monarchy did not mean that he was against the English people.
“I’ve nothing whatsoever against ordinary decent English people. I lived there myself for up on 20 years, and I found the ordinary English people the finest,” he said.
