The Midlands Northwest candidate was responding to a statement issued by Byrne which claims that Sinn Féin wants to “turn the clock back to 1973” with regards to the EU.
Cllr Carthy said: “Thomas Byrne is clearly in hysterics over recent opinion polls and has resorted to levelling misinformed attacks at me and my party. He needs to take a deep breath, calm down and stop misrepresenting my position on Europe.
“People are rightly concerned about the direction that the European Union is taking and how it treats Ireland. They want a fairer deal for Ireland. They want a democratic Europe where the size of member states doesn’t impact on how they are treated. They don’t want to see further powers handed over from Ireland to Europe.
“The people do not want or need another yes-man or woman in Europe. The want someone who will stand up for them and for Ireland’s interests and who will not be afraid to be a confident and critical voice.
“Thomas Byrne is clearly worried about his prospects in the upcoming election. As a former Fianna Fáil backbencher he supported every cut, every tax and every attack that government levelled on ordinary people. He would be better off examining his own record than resorting to misrepresenting mine.”