Senator Michael McDowell says he doesn't believe "anybody in their right mind could take offence" to statues which have been reinstated outside the Shelbourne Hotel in Dublin.
The four statues have stood outside the famous hotel for more than 150 years, before they were removed in August.
The hotel had originally said the statues were removed 'in light of recent world events' and their association with slavery.
However, Dublin City Council said it was not aware of permission being granted to remove the statues.
Art historian Kyle Leyden, meanwhile, said the statues do not depict slaves, but rather Egyptian and African women.
The statues were restored to their plinths overnight.
Senator McDowell was one of those who campaigned for the statues' reinstatement.
He told The Hard Shoulder today that the "writing was on the wall" once expert opinion suggested there were no slaves depicted.
He said: "It's a pity the whole thing happened, but I'd like to express gratitude to the Shelbourne Hotel for reinstating them... and Dublin City Council for taking the enforcement action they did.
"I'm very glad the hotel had the good sense and decency to rapidly do a u-turn, and put them back."
He said the statues are now in 'perfect nick', describing them as 'beautiful objects'.
'A small but important mistake'
The senator says he believes there was a 'roving argument' as to why the statues were removed.
He observed: "First of all they had to be taken down - according to the removal lobby - because they were slaves.
"Then there was a statement when doubt emerged that they were somehow symbols of white privilege.
"There was a huge fashion - and not white exploitative fashion - in the mid 19th century which regarded the whole Egyptian civilisation as exotic, and hugely valuable and interesting.
"[They were viewed] not as some kind of subjugated foreign people, but quite the reverse - a highly sophisticated civilisation, which had largely speaking vanished."
The hotel previously admitted there had been no complaints about the statues, and the removal was a decision made by the hotel owners and operators.
However, Senator McDowell says it "doesn't really matter who got the wrong idea".
He said the important thing is that "a small but important mistake was made, and has been rectified".
