LEO Varadkar has said he would rather resign from Fine Gael than lead the party into coalition with Sinn Féin.
The comments were made in Two Tribes, a two-part RTÉ documentary series on the history and legacy of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael.
In the second instalment of the programme broadcast last night, Mr Varadkar told presenter Sean O'Rourke that he would not lead his party in a coalition with Sinn Féin.
“I would resign as a member,” Mr Varadkar said when asked if he would step down as leader of Fine Gael rather than join forces with Sinn Féin.
Asked whether there was a comparision between Sinn Féin’s violent past and Fine Gael’s revolutionary history, with leaders like Michael Collins who ordered young men to kill, the taoiseach said the IRA commander and later chairman of the Provisional Government of the Irish Free State "didn't send out people to blow up chip shops, he didn't blow up buses and he didn't blow up shopping centres".
In the same episode, newly-appointed Tánaiste Micheál Martin refused to rule out a deal with Sinn Féin, saying it was something the electorate would decide.
"I think economically and politically there would be huge difficulty in going into government with Sinn Féin but I would say in the next general election the idea of ruling out parties may not be as strong," the Fianna Fáil leader said.
Sinn Féin president Mary Lou McDonald told the programme that Sinn Féin would be willing to talk to any potential coalition partners after the next election.
“I will speak to everybody... because I think that is what grown-ups do,” she said.
"I think that is the adult, and in fact, the respectful thing to do."
Former taoiseach Bertie Ahern told the programme that Sinn Féin had to be given “acknowledgment” for moving towards the centre ground of Irish politics.
“The more Sinn Féin comes into mainstream, the more support they are gaining from a lot of people,” he said.
