Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams has said he is "very relaxed" about a new poll which shows that even a majority of his own party supporters do not believe his denial about being in the IRA.

An Irish Times/Ipsos MRBI opinion poll published this morning found 68 per cent of the electorate do not believe his denials and only 9 per cent believe him. Even among Sinn Féin suppoters, 59 per cent believe he was in the IRA.

Speaking at the launch of the party's document on policing this morning, Mr Adams responded: "The IRA has long since left the stage".

Mr Adams said the issue of his alleged membership of the IRA is not one that is raised on the doorsteps and the public are far more interested in issues such as water rates and emigration.

The big concern is the “sense of betrayal by this present Government. People will make up their own minds on the issue of the betrayal. As I keep repeating, I never disassociated myself from the IRA. It isn’t an issue in this election. They (the public) appreciate the work that some of us have done in bringing an end to the war in the North. The work of building the peace has to be continued.”

The poll also found that 22 per cent of the electorate are less likely to vote Sinn Féin as a result of Mr Adams’s recent arrest and questioning over the murder of Jean McConville in 1972. Seven per cent said they were more likely to vote Sinn Féin and 65 per cent said it would have no effect one way or another on their vote.

He described the Government as “despicable in going about imposing austerity on working people. My appeal to people is to come out and vote for the party and give us a chance to show what we can do.

“Obviously this is not the Third World. There is a level of suffering out there which needs to vent its anger at this Government.”