Ian Paisley has said the Irish government was effectively responsible for a series of bomb attacks by the UVF in the Republic of Ireland in which 33 people were killed.

The former Northern Ireland First Minister made the comments regarding the 1974 Dublin and Monaghan bombings in a BBC documentary, which is to be broadcast on Monday night.

He said the Irish government effectively brought the attacks on itself.

"I was shocked, very much shocked, that there was anyone going to be hurt in that way," Mr Paisley said.

"But, I mean, who brought that on them? Themselves, it was their own political leaders...at that time the attitude of the south government to Northern Ireland was ridiculous."

Ulster Unionist Party leader Mike Nesbitt criticised the comments.

"When we criticise the re-writing of history, this is precisely the type of comments which we mean," he said.

"The people responsible for the murder of 33 people in Dublin and Monaghan in 1974 were the terrorists who planned and planted the bombs.

"There is no justification for terrorism today and there was no justification for terrorism at any time. This is a fundamental point which we cannot deviate from. We support the rule of law and utterly reject any notion that violence was ever justified in Northern Ireland. To do other is to give succour to the people who murdered Sappers Patrick Azimkar and Mark Quinsey, PSNI officers Stephen Carroll and Ronan Kerr, and prison officer David Black, as well as planting bombs in Belfast City Centre over Christmas.

"Ian Paisley's comments will be greeted with dismay by the vast majority of people on both sides of the border, not least the families of the 33 people whom lost their lives as a result of terrorist actions in Dublin and Monaghan.

"I call on the current DUP Leader to clarify that Ian Paisley is not speaking on behalf of the DUP in this matter."

(IT/JP)