Matthew McGrath (born 1 September 1958) is an Irish independent politician and a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Tipperary South constituency since the 2024 general election, and previously from 2007 to 2016.

Gormley said the bill was a part of the renewed programme for government and that it was a relatively minor piece of legislation, which should not have taken up so much Dáil time.

[10] On 25 January 2011, McGrath announced that he was leaving the Fianna Fáil party and would contest the 2011 general election as an Independent candidate.

[11] He denied that he was cynically resigning from the party in an attempt to save his own Dáil seat, saying that he had run out of "final straws" with Fianna Fáil.

In 2015, McGrath was accused of plagiarising a speech he gave in the Dáil on ISIS from a resolution put forward by American Congressman Jeff Fortenberry.

Ceann Comhairle, Verona Murphy subsequently ruled that four members of the group who supported the coalition government could not avail of opposition speaking rights.

McGrath opposed a minute of silence being held in the Dáil after the murder of George Floyd, saying that it was "none of our business" and calling it "showboating nonsense".

[23] McGrath has attracted criticism from various politicians and from the Auschwitz Museum for his comments on COVID-19 and perceived sensationalist remarks by drawing comparisons between life in Nazi Germany and COVID-19 restrictions in Ireland.

McGrath has referred to the pandemic as a "scamdemic"[24] and has opposed public health lockdowns, declaring that "this wouldn't happen under Hitler".

[29] In July 2021, McGrath compared the concept of digital COVID-19 certificates to Germany during Nazi times, and the practice of giving badges to concentration camp prisoners during the Holocaust, stating "Is that what we have come to now.

Martin claimed that "far-right ideologues" were influencing groups in the Dáil and that McGrath "had a script" prepared for him that alluded to conspiracy theories such as "the Great Reset".

[38][39] On 29 November 2023, in the aftermath of a riot the previous week, Paul Murphy criticised other TDs for laundering far-right conspiracy theories.

[41][42] Adam Harris, of the autism advocacy group AsIAm said on X:"Is it any wonder the stigma that Autistic people suffer when such dangerous misinformation is spouted in the Dáil?

Never mind explaining the right language or facts but dog whistling to conspiracy theorists at Autistic people's expense is below the belt".