A district court judge has apologised for saying that if he had a licensed shotgun he would blow the head off anyone who broke into his home.
Judge Seán MacBride told the trial of a 26-year-old man for burglary in Monaghan Court last week that "people have no business going into private houses".
The Irish Council for Civil Liberties described Judge MacBride's comments as "outrageous" and "inflammatory" and simply wrong in terms of law.
The Green Party's justice spokesman Ciarán Cuffe said he was shocked and appalled that a member of the judiciary would feel it appropriate to publicly make such reckless and negligent comments.
Mr Cuffe said: "To advocate blowing the head off someone coming into one's property sends all the wrong signals to the general public."
This evening Judge MacBride issued an apology through the Courts Service, saying he regretted his choice of language and insisting he was "totally opposed" to the use of guns and against all violence.
"The words were used in the specific context of my dealing with the stealing of items from the home of an elderly person, and in an attempt to highlight the vulnerability of those who are aged, and who live alone".
"I was trying to emphasis my revulsion at the violation of the safety of peoples homes - of the sanctuary of their private space," Judge MacBride said.