McDonald's in Portugal has apologised for an advertising campaign which features a wordplay on one of the worst atrocities of the Troubles.

The campaign by the fast-food giant advertised a new Halloween-themed dessert which is called "Sundae Bloody Sundae".

The promotional material has been removed from restaurants after sparking outrage on social media.

A spokesperson for McDonald's said: "When promoting its Halloween Sundae ice cream, McDonald’s Portugal developed a local market activation for a small number of its restaurants in Portugal. The campaign was intended as a celebration of Halloween, not as an insensitive reference to any historical event or to upset or insult anyone in any way.

"We sincerely apologise for any offense or distress this may have caused. All promotional material has been removed from restaurant."

Thirteen people were killed and 15 people were wounded after members of the Army's Parachute Regiment opened fire on civil rights demonstrators in Londonderry's Bogside on Sunday January 30, 1972.

Soldier F, a former member of the British Army’s Parachute Regiment, has been accused of murder and attempted murder on one of the most notorious days of the Northern Ireland Troubles.

Social media users condemned the advertising campaign after a photo was circulated on Twitter.

Portugal is cancelled. pic.twitter.com/X1egoGRq9j — The Wild Atlantic Treaty Organisation (@bigmonsterlove) October 30, 2019

Nial Finegan said the advertisement was "totally unacceptable", while Rodrigo Rivera advised the chain to give some history lessons to their marketing department.

Another user said "ignorance is the new cool" for McDonald's in Portugal.

"Shame on you," he said.

It's not the first time a company has inadvertently brought up painful chapters in Irish and British history.

In 2006 Ben & Jerry apologised to Irish consumers after it launched Black and Tan ice-cream.

The US firm said the flavour had been inspired by the classic mixture of stout and pale ale.

There was also an earlier Bloody Sunday in Dublin in 1920, when members of the Black and Tans opened fire on crowds gathered to watch a GAA at Croke Park, killing 14 people.

In 2012, Nike apologised for nicknaming a pair of skate shoes 'The Black and Tan', saying it had been "unofficially named by some using a phrase that can be viewed as inappropriate and insensitive".

Belfast Telegraph