A claim by the Sinn Féin leader in the Dáil that the party rejected criminality led to heated exchanges between the Tánaiste and himself.
Mr Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan) asked Ms Harney to acknowledge that Sinn Féin was a party which rejected criminality of any kind "and that no republican worthy of the name can be involved in criminality".
Ms Harney said she would not "engage in a convenient fiction" in replying to Mr Ó Caolain.
"The reality is that many members of Sinn Féin, perhaps all the deputies from that party, do not believe it is a crime to murder a mother, and did not believe it was a crime to murder Det Garda Jerry McCabe or to attempt to murder Det Garda Ben O'Sullivan.
"That is a fact. For a party that does not recognise the Garda Síochána, you seem very keen to use Garda uniforms when you get a chance to do so."
She said that nobody was more eager than her to see Sinn Féin come fully into the democratic political system, but its members could not have it every way.
"They have got away with it for too long and patience is running out," said Ms Harney. "Quite honestly, some of us are getting sick of the antics of Deputy Ó Caolain's party."
Mr Ó Caoláin said the Tánaiste had demonstrated again "that she does not have the necessary skills", adding that she had not listened to what another deputy carefully said in the House.
"Although she has never attended a meeting that was key and critical to the development of the peace process, the Tánaiste is acting again as judge and jury on Sinn Féin, and she would love to be executioner."
Mr Ruairí Quinn (Labour, Dublin South East) remarked: "You are the executioners."
Mr Arthur Morgan (SF, Louth) said: "What is Conor Cruise O'Brien saying?"
Mr Ó Caoláin said he would not note the sniggers from the other benches because the hands of the mortals who were sneering were not as clean as they would wish them to be.
"Sinn Féin is determined to play a part in the collective effort to create the conditions in which the IRA will cease to exist," he added.
He would ask Ms Harney to note that his colleague deputy, Mr Aengus Ó Snodaigh, had stated categorically that he had no knowledge of, and was in no way connected with, any of the activity for which people were convicted.
He and his colleagues rejected the brutal murder of Robert McCartney and had called on anyone who could assist the McCartney family to do so.
Ms Harney said success could have been achieved last December if Sinn Féin and its associates had been prepared to sign up to an end to criminality.
Mr Martin Ferris (SF, Kerry North) said: "And be humiliated."
When Ms Harney remarked that on conviction Mr Ó Snodaigh's election agent had attacked the Special Criminal Court, Mr Ó Snodaigh said: "I was my own election agent."
When Mr Ó Snodaigh claimed the Tánaiste was misleading the House, the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism, Mr O'Donoghue, said: "It is better than misleading herself."
Addressing the Tánaiste earlier, Mr Ó Caoláin said: "Will she note that I go further and state that if there are within this party people who are involved in criminal acts, then they should leave our ranks immediately?
"Will she note that I say that there is no room in Sinn Féin for other than a clear and unambiguous commitment to democratic politics, and the pursuit of our goals by legal and peaceful means?"
He said efforts were being made to spread guilt by innuendo, guilt by association and guilt because of the political views of people, and not because of anything they had done.
"Will the Tánaiste note that while it would be easy at this time to devote all our energies to the war of words, remain on the defensive and be distracted from our purpose and pursuits, I have chosen instead to spell out clearly our responsibility to address any and every matter that requires our address?"
Any activity that fell outside the norms of legitimate political action should cease forthwith.
