The Kerry independent politician Danny Healy Rae has apologised for comments he made yesterday.
In comments that went viral, Mr Healy Rae yesterday told Virgin Media News: "To hell with the planet and the fella that says we must save the planet and forget about the people!
"I'm not one of those people. I make no apologies to anyone, anywhere for that."
The remarks also led to a brief conflict between himself and Green Party candidate Cleo Murphy.
Mr Healy Rae apologised for the comments at the Killarney count centre.
He said: "Obviously we have to care about the planet - but we have to care about our people as well and be fair to the people.
