Remarks on Holocaust offensive, says archbishop

THE ARCHBISHOP of Dublin, Dr Diarmuid Martin, has expressed concern about remarks reportedly made by Irish comedian Tommy Tiernan, which he described as “offensive to the Jewish community”.

Speaking at the end of a Mass for teachers last night, the archbishop said the comments allegedly made by Tiernan at the Electric Picnic festival in Co Laois were “offensive to all who feel revulsion concerning the Holocaust, one of the most horrific events in human history”.

“I can only decry the comments as insensitive and hurtful to the suffering of the victims and to a memory which is sacred,” Dr Martin said.

“Comedy does not bring with it unlimited licence. Comedy can easily become the forerunner of intolerance. Indeed comedy can be subtly dressed up to be cruel and to show disregard. Trivialisation of the Holocaust can be as hurtful as denial”.

The archbishop also noted that “the changing make-up of modern Irish society requires all of us to be particularly sensitive to any expression of racism or intolerance”.

Last night the Holocaust Education Trust Ireland said it was "appalled" by the remarks allegedly made by Tiernan, which were reported in the Sunday Tribunelast weekend.

In a statement, trust chairman Ruairí Quinn said of Tiernan that “as someone in the public eye, he has to take responsibility for his racist comments. We are equally concerned about the report of the audience’s reaction, which appears to have endorsed, sustained and enjoyed his comments. We would hope that the Irish public will choose to stay away from such racist ‘entertainment’ in future”.

The statement continued that the trust “utterly condemns Mr Tiernan’s anti-Semitic outburst and calls upon him to repudiate completely and apologise unreservedly for the comments about the Holocaust and the Jews he is reported to have made.

“This incident highlights the necessity and relevance of the role of Holocaust education in order to educate and inform people in Ireland about the Holocaust, intolerance and anti-Semitism.”

In a statement earlier yesterday Mr Tiernan said he was “greatly upset by the thought that these comments have caused hurt to others as this was never my intention”.

He continued: “the things that I said in front of a live audience were in an attempt to explain my belief that one of the duties of the comic performer is to be reckless and irresponsible and that the things that they say should NEVER [his emphasis] be taken out of context.”

At the event he had prefaced “my rant by saying that it should not be taken seriously and as such, the rant took place as an example of my argument. While it is out of context, which it most definitely is now, it seems callous, cruel and ignorant,” he said.