Minister for Justice Alan Shatter has apologised to RTÉ crime correspondent Paul Reynolds about comments he made about the journalist yesterday.
Mr Shatter had strongly criticised the work of Mr Reynolds and accused him of engaging in “tabloid sensationalism”. The two men had earlier clashed when the journalist asked the Minister about the appointment of one of his political donors to a part-time post dealing with whistleblowers in An Garda Síochána.
In a statement tonight, however, Mr Shatter said: "I apologise to Paul Reynolds for comments made by me yesterday.
"Whilst as a public figure I have no difficulty in dealing with issues relating to my public duties, I considered the broadcast of Paul Reynolds on the RTÉ television one o’clock news yesterday to be grossly unfair to Mr Oliver Connolly, a private individual of impeccable integrity who had agreed to act as the confidential recipient in relation to An Garda Síochána.
"I inappropriately responded by making comments about Paul which I now regret and acknowledge were unfair and inaccurate," he said.
I am advised that Paul Reynolds yesterday apologised to Mr Connolly," the Minister added.
"I am apologising to Paul Reynolds and I want to acknowledge the contribution and value of his work as RTÉ's crime correspondent. I hope that Paul will accept my apology and that we can both move on.”
Mr Shatter was addressing town councillors in Templemore, Co Tipperary, yesterday after attending a graduation ceremony in the Garda College.
In a highly personalised rebuke, Mr Shatter told a meeting of Templemore Town Council: “Mr Reynolds has great difficulty in accurately reporting anything. He constantly and consistently engages in tabloid sensationalism of the worst kind and frequently gets it very wrong.”
Mr Shatter was earlier asked by reporters at Templemore about the appointment of barrister Mr Connolly as an external “confidential recipient” for complaints from gardaí about corruption in the force, on a salary of €12,500 a year. Records held by the Standards in Public Office Commission show that Mr Connolly gave Mr Shatter a cheque for €1,000 in the 2007 general election year.
Mr Connolly is the founder of Friary Law, which specialises in mediation services and which has developed a family mediation model together with Mr Shatter, who is a solicitor and expert in family law.
Mr Shatter strongly defended the appointment on Wednesday and yesterday, as did Taoiseach Enda Kenny last night.
A spokeswoman for RTÉ said the station did not wish to react to Mr Shatter’s comments, but praised Reynolds’s record.