INDEPENDENT IRELAND TD Michael Fitzmaurice has said he would have more “respect” for former Taoiseach Leo Varadkar had he “stuck to his ground” on his remarks around rural Ireland.

The former Fine Gael leader yesterday told The Journal that he probably “went too far” in his comments on urban Ireland subsidising rural Ireland.

The comments, which he made on Matt Cooper’s Path to Power podcast over the weekend, have attracted heavy criticism.

On the podcast, Varadkar said there’s a perception in rural Ireland that people living there are the “real workers” who are “paying all the bills” – but it is urban Ireland who do so.

“I think we maybe need to be a little bit more blunt in urban Ireland and say actually, that’s not the case,” said Varadkar.

“We’re the ones paying all the bills and you’re the ones in receipt of a lot of subsidies and a lot of tax benefits that other people don’t get.”

Speaking to The Journal yesterday, Varadkar said he stands over some of his comments, and that many of the points he made are “still valid”, such as that the vast majority of tax is paid in urban Ireland.

However, Varadkar said he “went too far” and over-stated his case on certain other points, adding that he definitely did not set out to be divisive or to offend anyone. 

Speaking on The Tonight Show on Virgin Media, Fitzmaurice remarked: “If you say something and you believe in it, what are you apologising for?

“If he believes that, you stick your ground.”

"If you say something and you believe in it, what are you apologising for?" asks Independent Ireland TD Michael Fitzmaurice TD following Leo Varadkar's apology. #TonightVMTV pic.twitter.com/NkqkUq6Eu8

— TonightVMTV (@TonightVMTV) April 22, 2026

Fitzmaurice added that he would have more “respect” for Varadkar had he stuck to his ground.

“There was a big backlash,” added Fitzmaurice.

“In fairness, people in Fine Gael were very upset about what he said – I’ve known Fine Gael voters all their lives, and they were very upset about what he said.

“But I just have a fear that there’s a certain thinking with certain people about rural Ireland, that it’s nearly a second-class place, which it’s not.”

Tánaiste Simon Harris has distanced himself from Varadkar’s remarks, telling a Fine Gael parliamentary party meeting earlier this week that he’s never believed in dividing people by where they live or the job they do.

He added that people in rural Ireland “keep their side of the social contract”.