An Irishman accused of taking his uncle's corpse to collect his pension has spoken out, saying he did not realise the man was dead and was "not an eejit" who was trying to rob him.

Declan Haughney, 40, and his friend Gareth Coakley entered the Hosey's post office in Carlow, Ireland, while propping up his uncle Peadar Doyle, 66.

Haughney spoke to the Irish Mirror newspaper, protesting his innocence and saying he was being targeted by the community because he was a former drug addict - who once robbed his aunt.

"Why would I want to rob my uncle? I'm 40 years of age yeah, I'm not a child, I'm not a young fella," he told the Mirror.

"I'm not an eejit to walk into Hoseys with a dead man and collect his money.

"Am I cuckoo? Am I cuckoo? I'm not," he insisted, claiming Doyle was alive when they set out for the post office but may have died on the way.

"We were grand then all of a sudden he started going all slumpy."

Haughney, who served two years in jail for fraud after stealing his aunt's bank card, said he was assaulted by locals who blamed him for the death after the story broke - but has put his past behind him.

"I'm off the gear three years and doing well," he said.

The police investigation remains open, as locals struggle to come to terms with the bizarre incident.

Fergal Brown, a Fine Gael councillor, said the incident was "very upsetting for everyone locally".

Carlow Mayor Ken Murnane said the allegations had left townspeople in shock.

"It's just mind-boggling that anyone could happen to do something like that," Murnane said. "It beggars belief. It's like a Hitchcock movie."