Galway West TD and presidential hopeful Catherine Connolly is facing somewhat of a backlash after comments she made on Hamas.
Speaking to BBC Radio Ulster, she said Hamas was part of the fabric of Palestinian society.
She also said it is "not up to" British Prime Minister Keir Starmer to say they should have no role in a future Palestinian state.
"The Palestinians must decide in a democratic way who they want to lead their country", she added.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin criticised the comments and said the future for Palestine should be one without Hamas involvement:
It marks a rocky start to Catherine Connolly's official presidential campaign, launched last night - during which she did not take questions from the media.
Political Editor for the Irish Times, Pat Leahy, says the comments on Hamas have caused a stir.
