Healy-Rae dismisses far-right call for ‘excommunication’ over mosque visit

Deputy Michael Healy Rae speaking at Killarney Islamic Centre.Islamic Cultural Centre in Killarney.Deputy Michael Healy-Rae has refused to be drawn on calls by a local election candidate in Kerry running for a far-right party that he should be ‘excommunicated’ from the Catholic Church for having visited a mosque in Killarney in the past.National Party candidate Jacob Sweeney posted a message on his X account that he emailed Bishop of Kerry Ray Browne ordering that Deputy Healy-Rae be excommunicated as he caused ‘serious offence to God’ and was ‘blasphemous’ in visiting the mosque.Deputy Healy-Rae said the video is from ‘a while back’ and features people from the Bangladesh community, some of whom have been living in Kerry for over 30 years. The video shows Michael Healy-Rae speaking as a guest at the mosque where he said members of the Muslim community were the ‘fabric’ of Killarney and Kerry.“We were glad to support you and do our work in helping you [build a mosque],” he said.“But it was down to yourselves. It is a beautiful building and a building for the future,” Michael Healy-Rae added.He spoke of the contribution made to Kerry by Muslims and that if they had not made a decision to come to Kerry and raise their families, “we would have been denied the right of having those children in this county,” he said.“We are delighted that the mosque [Killarney] is going so well. It is a credit to each and everyone of you and your families who worked so hard and saved up money. It couldn’t be here only for work and money. You did that yourselves. You didn’t have to get any grant or help. What you needed was the goodwill,” Deputy Healy-Rae stated.But Jacob Sweeney said he is against what he termed the ‘Islamification of Ireland’ and hoped Bishop Browne would be ‘righteous’ in his decision and excommunicate Deputy Healy-Rae.The Islamic Cultural Centre in Killarney was granted planning permission to extent its premises at New Street Car Park on Beech Road in May 2023. Permission was granted to construct an extension to the existing cultural centre by adding a prayer room, and three-bedroom apartment.Deputy Danny Healy-Rae and Cllr Maura Healy-Rae were both listed as having submitted representations to the council on behalf of the Islamic Cultural Centre’s application.