Al Doyle, guitarist with acclaimed American act LCD Soundsystem, has waded into the Repeal debate with a tweet about Taoiseach Leo Varadkar. It is one of the bizarrest cases of handbags seen in a long time in rock 'n' roll.
The Taoiseach had attended the band’s Olympia show with fellow Fine Gael members, including Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe and Minister of State for European Affairs Helen McEntee. Paschal Donohoe in particular is a major music fan, who is well up to speed on what's what in contemporary rock and its multiplicity of offshoots.
However, when the politicians went backstage to say hello to the band after the show, the US outfit – or some of them at least – were less than impressed.
“Irish PM Leo Varadkar came backstage,” Doyle tweeted. “Wore a ‘repeal’ tote bag around my neck in front of him; he walked away. Tosser.”
The tweet received almost 800 likes and was retweeted 289 times.
Doyle followed this up this morning with this series of what felt like semi-apologetic tweets.

Ok just got back to this after a very, very late night in Dublin.

A *very* late night.

Anyway, I realise some apologies are in order...

— al doyle (@aldoyletweets) September 30, 2017

Firstly, we should do our due diligence on any politico types that wanna come backstage. We didn't in this case, and that was lax. Sorry.

— al doyle (@aldoyletweets) September 30, 2017

Secondly, a tote bag round the neck is a crap protest; sorry. But that's all I had to hand, and I was very tired. Like, existentially tired.

— al doyle (@aldoyletweets) September 30, 2017

Thirdly, I don't have much right to wade into this debate as some Johnny come lately when it's not even my country, so sorry about that too.

— al doyle (@aldoyletweets) September 30, 2017

I just think that women's bodies are their own, and it's weird that anyone feels they can't just say that for any reason.

— al doyle (@aldoyletweets) September 30, 2017

Also it's totally just my opinion that Leo Varadkar is a tosser. He just seemed like a bit of a tosser in the limited time I spent with him.

— al doyle (@aldoyletweets) September 30, 2017

I'm holding on by a thread in the departures lounge right now by the way. Just one Coca Cola between me and paranoid oblivion.

— al doyle (@aldoyletweets) September 30, 2017

Good old Coca Cola. The red ambulance.

— al doyle (@aldoyletweets) September 30, 2017

Main thing to take away though is that Dublin got the best out of us for three absolute slamming gigs in a row. Big fucken love to all ❤️

— al doyle (@aldoyletweets) September 30, 2017

Leo Varadkar, meanwhile, has maintained a discreet silence.