IN sarcasm, bordering on the sacrilegious, the father of Elon Musk invoked the name of one of West Cork’s greatest revolutionary leaders, Michael Collins.
Errol Musk, the father of the billionaire, was speaking on radio station Newstalk when he defended erroneous statements repeated by his son that illegal immigrants get shorter prison sentences in Ireland compared to Irish nationals.
When the statement was challenged by the interviewer Kieran Cuddihy, Errol Musk replied: ‘If Elon said it, it’s probably correct.’
Then, in a bizarre leap, Errol Musk invoked the name of Michael Collins saying: ‘Remember what a scoundrel Michael Collins was’, adding: ‘They should have done him in right in the beginning, don’t you think? Rat. Remember all the lies he told?’
The point that Errol Musk was apparently trying to make is that West Cork native Collins was a rhetorical master in his campaign against British rule.
But using the Collins name was a bridge too far for many listeners to the show – one of whom branded the comments as ‘slander.’
