Mr Campbell said he listened "with incredulity" to comments made to the Press by the Deputy First Minister, who was criticising politicians in the Republic who urged people not to cross the border to shop.

And he warned the Deputy First Minister that he and future generations of his family had "better get used to" living within the UK.

Speaking to the Press on Friday, Mr McGuinness said "partitionism" was an evil that was on a par with sectarianism and racism.

He said: "There are a number of tremendous evils in our society. One is racism, the other is sectarianism and I think an evil also is partitionism."

Mr Campbell took part in the North/South Ministerial meeting for the first time when it was held in his home city of Londonderry.

Afterwards, Mr Campbell blasted Mr McGuinness's comments, saying: "If he means by partitionism the existence of Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland – two separate countries – then that's an evil that he's going to have to get used to, his grandchildren are going to have to get used to, and his great great grandchildren are going to have to get used to.

"It's not an evil, it's a good, and he'd better waken up to it."

The Minister for Culture, Arts and Leisure also highlighted the expenditure of substantial sums of money investigating deaths during the Troubles, and contrasted this with the Republic's approach to the past.

He said: "In Northern Ireland we have spent hundreds of millions of pounds looking at the past, with a whole range of inquiries.

"The Irish Republic hasn't spent one euro in trying to clear up the mess that they helped to create in the financing and funding and beginnings of the IRA. Well, we've got to try and get some closure on that."

Ulster Unionist MLA Tom Elliott said: "The Deputy First Minister's statement is profoundly disturbing. It is right and proper to condemn the evils of racism and sectarianism. However, he then went on to describe 'partitionism' as 'an evil'."

"Those of us who are unionists have just had our political beliefs described as 'evil' by the Deputy First Minister – the same Deputy First Minister who took the pledge of office 'to serve all the people of Northern Ireland equally'.

"The real evil within the society in Northern Ireland is those who killed and injured innocent people throughout the Troubles."

TUV vice-chair Keith Harbinson said: "Many people will be rightly outraged by the remarks.

"Many people will understandably ask how McGuinness can be joint First Minister of a country he doesn't even believe should exist.

"His republican movement is the embodiment of evil, having been responsible for the murder of thousands of individuals."

Mr Campbell also criticised the use by Dublin politicians of the title of the Republic's head of state.

He said: "Their head of state is the President of the Irish Republic.