Tánaiste Micheál Martin has accused Sinn Féin of “infecting a new generation of young people”.
Speaking to reporters in Co Tipperary, where Fianna Fáil is holding its annual think-in, Mr Martin said there is “huge incompatibility” between his party and Sinn Féin.
He said Sinn Féin has been “very slow to bring closure to many victims of Provisional IRA violence”.
The Fianna Fáil leader said a recent documentary on the murder of Thomas Niedermayer by the republican paramilitary group was “sobering”.
He added: “It reminds us of the need for Sinn Féin not to triumphalise the horrible deeds they did.
“They still try to triumphalise it, they still try to justify it. The problem with that is that you’re infecting a new generation of young people.
“We need to take all of that out of our politics and move on.
“And if we expect others to do it, then I think Sinn Féin have an obligation to do that, and they’re showing no evidence – in fact they’re doubling down, and that’s a view I have.”
Asked about these comments, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar told reporters in Belfast that he agreed with the Tánaiste.
“I think we need, as a country, to have an honest appraisal about what happened in the past,” he said.
“I don’t think it is ever right for people to whitewash history or to glorify things that happened in the past that hurt a lot of people, and that doesn’t just apply to Sinn Féin.”
Mr Martin was responding to a question from reporters about whether his position on entering into a coalition with Sinn Féin in the future has softened.
He said: “As far as we’re concerned, we believe there’s huge incompatibility with Sinn Féin on range of policies – the most important one being, in my view, the enterprise model of our economy, which I believe Sinn Féin would undermine.”
In addition, he accused Sinn Féin of being “anti-enterprise” and “anti-European”.
“Also, in terms of the climate agenda, I think they’ve been particularly two-faced on that and lacking any genuine commitment and they’ve sought to play politics with it.”
Sinn Féin has been asked for comment.
