Main points
- Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald addressed the recent controversies surrounding the party in the Dáil on Tuesday
- Former Sinn Féin senator Niall Ó Donnaghaile was revealed to have been the party member reported to have sent ‘inappropriate’ texts to a 17-year-old. McDonald also revealed that a second individual also came forward with details of ‘inappropriate messages’ from Ó Donnaghaile
- Tánaiste Micheál Martin has accused McDonald of misleading the Oireachtas on the reasons for Ó Donnghaile’s resignation
- McDonald told the Dáil that the resignation of Laois-Offaly TD Brian Stanley was ‘very serious’ and came on foot of a complaint made against him. The nature of the complaint and counter complaints from Stanley at the heart of the dispute have not been revealed
- Green Party leader Roderic O’Gorman said he wants further information from Sinn Féin and Stanley around the circumstances of his resignation
- Government parties have also called on Sinn Féin to make a statement on the controversy surrounding Michael McMonagle
Key reads
- Sinn Féin row with Brian Stanley deepens over referral of claims to Garda
- Timeline: What we know about Brian Stanley departure from Sinn Féin
- Who is Niall Ó Donnghaile, the former Sinn Féin Senator who resigned over ‘inappropriate’ texts to teenager?
- Six unanswered questions over the Sinn Féin-Brian Stanley controversy
- Full transcript of McDonald interview: ‘I’m not pretending mistakes weren’t made’
Finally, speaking about the resignation of Laois Offaly TD Brian Stanley, Ms McDonald told the Six One News that “it would not have sat comfortably with me” if there was a “complaint on one hand and a counter allegation with Sinn Féin and nowhere for a resolution or conclusion”. She said “it will now be for the Gardai to make a determination as to what kind of investigation might be merited.” Asked why, if the allegation was not serious enough to be referred to Gardai in the summer, it was serious enough now, she said: “it’s not about that. It’s about the fact that in the course of the inquiry, a counter allegation, which was very serious, related to the first matter was made. At that point Deputy Stanley was advised to go the Garda, he didn’t.”
It has also been confirmed that Niall Ó Donnghaile has resigned from his ambassadorial role at the west Belfast GAA club Laochra Loch Lao.
Speaking on the RTÉ Six One News, Mary Lou McDonald said the young man who received the unwanted text messages from Niall Ó Donnghaile “was upset by it and wanted it to stop.”
She said it was judged to be “completely unacceptable behaviour.”
“It was not an acceptable standard of behaviour for an elected rep, and so he left.”
The party leader also said that Mr Ó Donnghaile was “in a mental health crisis” and she was “fearful what a public articulation of this might mean.” She said Mr Ó Donnghaile put out a statement this afternoon and she believed he indicated in that he has been working on his mental health.
When asked why he did not resign from the Seanad until December, despite indicating at a meeting with party officials in Belfast in October that he was stepping down, Ms McDonald said he was “on extended sick leave.”
She was also asked about her public statements praising his work when he stepped down in December of last year.
“Well, look, all of those things were true about him, but it was also true to say his behaviour in sending inappropriate messages to a 17 year old was completely unacceptable. When I said, on his leaving, I wished him well, especially on dealing with his health, I meant that.” She said that leaving the party and politics was a significant sanction for him.
Asked if Sinn Féin informed Mr Ó Donnghaile’s local GAA club, where he was an honorary president until today, about those text messages, she said it did not because “it wouldn’t be for a political party to do.”
Marie O’Halloran reports that Aontú leader Peadar Tóibín hit out at what he described as Government hypocrisy in attacking Sinn Féin. He said he had been raising child protection issues for five years but had been “stonewalled”. He criticised child protection agency Tusla who he said released documents that were deliberately complicated and in some cases in total contradiction of documents on the same issues released by gardaí.
Independent TD Michael Healy-Rae said the whole issue of child protection was being used as “some sort of a vehicle for getting at Sinn Féin”.
The Dáil debate on child protection has now wrapped up, but Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald is expected on the RTÉ Six One news shortly. We’ll have the updates from that interview here.
It is also worth revisiting exactly what Mary Lou McDonald said about the resignation of Brian Stanley, as she gave a little bit more detail about the nature of the complaint and the way that the complainant described feeling after the alleged incident.
“The party was first contacted on July 26th by the complainant. The disciplinary committee wrote to the complainant on August 1st, and on August 2nd of this year the party received a formal complaint against Deputy Stanley. I was informed of this complaint a day later on August 3rd. The disciplinary committee wrote to Brian Stanley on that same day to provide him with a copy of the complaint. Deputy Stanley had spoken to me at the end of July, and had indicated his anxiety that there might be a complaint made against him. He did not elaborate on the nature of the complaint that he was expecting to be made. I assured Deputy Stanley that any complaint would be handled fairly by the party’s procedures.”
“I was unaware of the details of the complaint until last Saturday night, October 12th, following Deputy Stanley’s resignation from Sinn Féin which had the effect of bringing the party’s process to an end. Let me be very clear. The complaint made against Deputy Stanley is very serious. The complaint relates to an incident that took place in October 2023 and relates to Deputy Stanley’s personal behaviour, leaving the complainant, in her words, traumatised and distressed.”
“In the course of the inquiry into the complaint against Deputy Stanley, he raised a counter allegation against the complainant and a very serious one. The allegation caused deep concern, and Deputy Stanley was advised that he should go to the Gardai. He chose not to. Deputy Stanley’s allegation also dates back to the incident of October 2023 and from the time of that incident, until the complaint was made, almost a full year, Deputy Stanley has not brought his allegation to the attention of the Gardaí.”
“When our preliminary inquiry was completed and the report furnished to all parties, the head of our disciplinary committee sought legal advice. This was provided to our party chairman, and resulted in a referral to An Garda Siochana. Sinn Féin referred all matters – the complaint and the counter allegation – to An Garda Siochana on Sunday, October 13th, to Kevin Street Garda station in Dublin.”
“We have done so given the very serious complaint and the very serious counter allegation. And let me say this just to be absolutely clear: Deputy Stanley is responsible for his behaviour, and he must account for it. For our part, Sinn Féin responded to a serious complaint and counter allegation in a correct and a fair manner.”
This in from Marie O’Halloran: Social Democrats leader Holly Cairns said she had to highlight the “glossing over of the glowing statement” that Ms McDonald made about former senator Niall Ó Donnghaile when he resigned.”
She said that “whatever about not publicly naming him in relation to allegations” because of concerns about his mental health “her statement was utterly glowing. She wished him the best for the future, said he had served diligently and made a valuable contribution to politics here and in the north.”
The reality was that senator Ó Donnghaile “was resigning in disgrace with a referral to the PSNI for inappropriately messaging a minor. And she knew about it”.
Ms Cairns said a lot of the Sinn Féin leader’s speech was “kind of lambasting press officers in the party for giving references” but the same standard did not seem to apply to her statements.
Statement just in from Tánaiste Micheál Martin on the latest Sinn Féin developments – he has accused them of misleading the Oireachtas.
“The latest revelations about former Sinn Féin Senator Niall Ó Donnghaile raise serious and fundamental questions about the party and its governance. For the first time, Sinn Féin has revealed Ó Donnghaile was suspended from the party following “inappropriate” text messages to a teenager, which were referred to the PSNI.”
“Yet when party leader Mary Lou McDonald paid tribute on the senator’s resignation last December, she spoke only of the health challenges he had faced. It appears the Oireachtas was misled on the full reasons for Senator Niall Ó Donnghaile’s resignation, following actions which the party itself described as “unacceptable”. The party’s track record of concealment and secrecy is shocking.”
“We have seen it before in the shameful treatment of Máiría Cahill, Paudie McGahon, the cover up over Liam Adams, and the handling of senior press officer Michael McMonagle. It is apparent when it comes to Sinn Féin, the party always comes first.”
“It is clear Sinn Féin again failed to tell the truth on a very serious matter and seem to have been involved in a very elaborate cover up.”
It’s hard to escape the feeling that the Sinn Féin multi-crisis is reaching its most dangerous moment. The revelations today that the party did not reveal, for a full year, the serious reasons why a Senator was suspended will heap pressure on Mary Lou McDonald. Instead, the party praised his work and wished him well when he stepped down officially.
Marie O’Halloran has this report from the Dáil, as politicians react to the defences offered by Mary Lou McDonald over the various party scandals and controversies.
Labour leader Ivana Bacik described some of Ms McDonald’s responses in the Dáil as “incredible”. She could not imagine how complaints of “gross misconduct” about a TD or Senator could be kept from the leader of a political party, referring to Mr Stanley.
She wondered why Ms McDonald was prompted to order a review of their processes. Ms Bacik added: “The buck stops with Ms McDonald as it should,” but “I cannot understand why she did not show any curiosity when it was drawn to her attention that senior colleague was the subject of a serious complaint”.
There were many outstanding questions in the case of Mr Stanley in particular, including when did it emerge that a criminal matter may be involved and “why did they wait until Saturday when Brian Stanley resigned before the matter was referred to the gardaí”.
Here is what Mary Lou McDonald said, word for word, about the inappropriate messages sent by former Sinn Féin senator Niall Ó Donnghaile, and about the party’s decision not to disclose what had happened when he stepped down.
“On the 11th of September 2023, a party councillor received a complaint that an inappropriate message had been sent by Niall Ó Donnghaile to a 17 year old male party member. The young man wanted this to stop, and he wanted no further contact to be made to him by Niall Ó Donnghaile.”
“On the 12th of September, the chairperson of Belfast Sinn Féin was informed of the complaint, and so began the formal party procedure.
“As part of the party’s inquiry at the time, we were informed of a second individual receiving inappropriate text messages from Niall Ó Donnghaile. This person was an adult. He was advised of his right to make a formal complaint, but he chose not to.”
“On the 13th of September, in line with our child protection guidelines, given that the complainant was under the age of 18, Niall Ó Donnghaile was suspended from the party and the issue was immediately referred to the PSNI and social services in the North to investigate. This was clearly not a matter for any political party to adjudicate on. The PSNI investigates crime, social services supervises safeguarding issues and processes.”
“On the 27th of September, the PSNI informed the party that there was an agreed joint investigation between the PSNI and social services. No formal investigation followed.”
“The PSNI also informed us that the young person was content with the actions taken by the party. There was no finding of illegality and no criminal charges were pursued.”
“However, Niall Ó Donnghaile’s actions were not acceptable. This view was made clear to Niall Ó Donnghaile at a meeting on October 5th involving the party chair, the chief whip and the chairperson of Belfast Sinn Féin. At that meeting, Niall Ó Donnghaile stated that he would be resigning both from the Seanad and the party. Sinn Féin’s actions were firstly guided by concern for the young person at the centre of this incident, secondly, by the need for accountability and consequences for the actions of Niall Ó Donnghaile, and he faced those consequences, ones that were proportionate to his unacceptable behaviour.”
“The party had received legal advice against naming Mr Niall Ó Donnghaile, as there was no criminal charge brought against him. However, the question may be asked, and has been asked legitimately, as to why Sinn Féin didn’t inform the Oireachtas of the circumstances of Niall Ó Donnghaile’s resignation as a senator, and that’s a fair question, and let me answer it. In the summer of 2021, Niall Ó Donnghaile was on extended leave from his duties in the Seanad due to very serious mental health issues. Following the complaint, we were advised that Niall Ó Donnghaile was again suffering from a mental health crisis and was deemed medically unfit for work by his doctor. We were very worried that publicly naming him would be dangerous to his health, and that is not to make an excuse for his behaviour, but we had very serious concerns for his mental health and his safety, and I still hold some of those concerns to this very day.”
“Niall Ó Donnghaile publicly resigned on December 21 last and on that occasion, I wished him and his family well. I acknowledged his work in the past, and above all, I wished him well in dealing with his very, very significant health challenges.”
“Niall Ó Donnghaile was held to account as a result of the procedures in our party, pursuing accountability and consequences.”
After Mary Lou McDonald named former Sinn Féin senator Niall Ó Donnghaile as the person who was suspended over complaints of inappropriate texts being sent to a 17-year-old, she said the teenager contacted the party because he wanted the texts to stop.
Mary Lou McDonald is now raising Niall Ó Donnghaile and the texts he has admitted sending to a teenager.
She has also revealed that a second individual also came forward with details of “inappropriate messages.”
She said Ó Donnghaile’s actions were “not acceptable” and that at a meeting on October 5th which was attended by the party chair, chief whip and chairperson in Belfast, he said he would resign.
She says Sinn Féin received legal advice against naming Mr Ó Donnghaile. She said it was a “fair question” to ask why Sinn Féin did not divulge what had happened with him. She said the party was advised he was suffering from a “mental health crisis” and that naming him would be dangerous for his health.
“We had serious concerns for his mental health and his safety” last December, she said. She wished him and his family well and acknowledged his work in the past.
“He was held to account as a result of the procedures in our party. The matter was referred to the PSNI for criminal investigation and the social services as the direct result of the procedures of our party. This party has impacted on then young person receiving this inappropriate and unwanted messages.”
Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald said that Kildare South TD Patricia Ryan resigned because a general election selection convention in the constituency was going to be contested. She said the resignation of Laois Offaly TD Brian was “very serious” and came on foot of a complaint made against Mr Stanley.
She said the complaint relates to an incident that took place in October 2023, leaving the complainant “traumatised and distressed.”
She said Mr Stanley then raised a “serious” counter allegation against the complainant.
“Deputy Stanley was advised that he should go to the gardaí, and he chose not to.”
Mary Lou McDonald then moved on to an email from the British Heart Foundation to a former Sinn Féin HR manager, where the former HR manager was told about the references last year. Sinn Féin has said it only became aware of the employment references on foot of a media query received last month. Ms McDonald said that the information given about the references to the HR manager was not “communicated up the chain.”
Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald is on her feet in the Dáil chamber now. She said she believes there should be “real consequences for wrongdoing.”
She said Sinn Féin’s approach to child protection is “guided by the welfare of children” and “governed by robust disciplinary procedures.”
She said Michael McMonagle’s action “were despicable, disgusting and criminal” and “his victims will see him punished for what he has done.” She said that Sinn Féin did not know, but learned last month, that two of McMonagle’s colleagues had provided employment references. “They didn’t have the authority to give these references, or the permission of the party”. She said she could not understand why “any rational, decent person” would give such a reference. She said it was “unforgivable.”
Fine Gael TD for Dublin South West Colm Brophy raised the admission by Niall Ó Donnghaile that he sent inappropriate messages to a teenager. Mr Brophy said Mr Ó Donnghaile was listed as leader of the Seanad, on the official record, until January 2024. “So you actually stood there and had someone who was suspended from the party in 2023, and remains the leader of the Seanad until 2024. Why? Why were we not informed? Why were people not made aware?”
Minister for Justice Helen McEntee said recent revelations about Sinn Féin’s handling of a child sex abuse case represent “a source of great public concern” and as she called on Mary Lou McDonald to “provide answers” to questions that have not yet been addressed. Minister of State in the Department of Health Anne Rabbitte said: “your censorship of party members, your kangaroo courts, your senator inappropriately texting a teenager ... if this is the change you’re selling, I’d urge an abundance of caution in allowing it anywhere near Government buildings.”
Green Party Minister for Children Roderic O’Gorman was up first for statements on child protection.
He said “we can’t afford to become complacent” when it comes to child safeguarding.
In the Dáil, Marie O’Halloran reports that former Tánaiste Frances Fitzgerald is watching from the public gallery with Máiría Cahill. They are seated opposite the side of the chambers where Sinn Féin TDs sit.
Minister for Justice Helen McEntee said those responsible for child abuse need to be held accountable.
Dáil statements on child protection are about to kick off ...
Marie O’Halloran has obtained Niall Ó Donnghaile’s statement. Here it is in full:
“Over a year ago I sent inappropriate messages which, in consultation with the party, I accept warranted my stepping down from my role as a Senator and Sinn Féin member; this would also give me the space to focus on improving my health and wellbeing, issues that I have been dealing with my doctor on since mid-2021.
“At the time I made myself available to the PSNI; at no stage was I spoken to by them or any other agency. The PSNI confirmed that no offences had occurred.”
“I regret deeply the upset caused to the recipient of these messages and apologise sincerely for that. I also accept that I have caused great embarrassment to myself, my family, friends and former colleagues – this was never my intention.”
“Since resigning from political and public life almost a year ago and now as a private citizen, my main focus has been on improving my mental health and also supporting a relative through a challenging period of ill-health – this remains my priority and I ask that I and all those concerned are allowed to move on, with our privacy respected.”
“I will be making no further comment.”
The Irish News reports that Mr Ó Donnghaile admitted that he sent inappropriate messages last September. He told the newspaper that accepted that his behaviour warranted stepping down from his Seanad role and as a party member.
“This would also give me the space to focus on improving my health and wellbeing, issues that I have been dealing with my doctor on since mid-2021.”
The outlet also reports that Mr Ó Donnghaile said he deeply regrets any upset caused to the recipient of the messages, which he apologises for.
“I also accept that I have caused great embarrassment to myself, my family, friends and former colleagues – this was never my intention.”
Who is Niall Ó Donnghaile? Read Jade Wilson’s profile in full here.
Questions will now surely arise about the way in which Sinn Féin handled the resignation of former senator Niall Ó Donnghaile, and the reasons given for his resignation, now that he has admitted he was the party member who sent inappropriate texts to a teenager.
He resigned from the Seanad last year claiming ill-health. Announcing his resignation, he said: “Since the summer recess, I have been unable to attend the Seanad on the advice of my doctor.
“It is unlikely that this situation will change in the short-term.
“Therefore I feel the best decision for myself, my family and the party going forward is to resign from the Seanad and step back from public life.”
Mary Lou McDonald said at the time that she hoped Mr Ó Donnghaile could overcome his health challenges and wished him well for the future.
She said he spent almost eight years “giving voice to northern nationalists in the Oireachtas”.
“Niall served diligently during that period, and indeed prior during his time as a member of Belfast City Council and as Ardmhéara Beál Feirste.
“In particular, Niall made a valuable contribution to the Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday [Belfast] Agreement.” The complaint was received in September 2023. He resigned from the Seanad in December 2023.
Another controversy emerged last Saturday when the Irish Independent reported that a Sinn Féin member resigned from the party after allegedly sending inappropriate messages to a 17-year-old.
This afternoon, former Sinn Féin senator Niall Ó Donnghaile told the Irish News that he was the member in question who sent the texts.
Sinn Féin received a complaint on September 11th, 2023 regarding the messages sent by the party member to the teenager.
The party member suspended that same month and the incident was referred to the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) and social services.
A spokesman said that on September 27th, “the PSNI informed the party they were not carrying out a formal investigation into the matter and indicated support for the actions the party had taken both from their perspective and that of the young person’s family.”
The party is today expected to address the steps it took in reporting the matter to the PSNI and the social services in Northern Ireland. The party is likely to come under pressure as well to outline the steps it took to notify the GAA if there was any involvement by the individual with that organisation.
We have around 45 minutes until those statements on child protection begin in the Dáil, so in the meantime let’s take a look at the four crises engulfing Sinn Féin.
The first controversy began when it emerged two former Sinn Féin officials gave employment references to a former party staffer who pleaded guilty to child sex offences last month.
Michael McMonagle, who was a Sinn Féin press officer, was arrested in August 2021 following an investigation into child sex offences.
Two Sinn Féin press officers, Séan Mag Uidhir and Caoloán McGinley, then resigned their positions after it emerged they had provided work references for McMonagle, who went on to get a job with the British Heart Foundation.
Sinn Féin Stormont leader Michelle O’Neill said she was “aghast and horrified” by the provision of the references. The Irish Times then revealed that Sinn Féin did not return McMonagle’s Stormont security pass. The party also failed to inform the Northern Ireland Assembly Commission of his arrest.
As pressure intensified on the party to reveal who was aware of the employment references, it emerged that a former Sinn Féin human resources manager was contacted by the BHF in August 2023. Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald said it was her understanding that the notification of these references was not transmitted “onwards” a year ago. The party has claimed it only became aware of the employment references on foot of a media inquiry last month.
Compounding matters, the head of the BHF Fearghal McKinney said the charity had suffered reputational damage.
Furthermore, Michelle O’Neill insisted that she did not see McMonagle last year at an event at Stormont despite standing just yards from him in Stormont’s Great Hall. The party has been criticised in the past over how it dealt with previous republican sex offenders.
Jennifer Bray here taking over the liveblog before expected statements from political parties on child protection, which will follow the Order of Business and questions to the Taoiseach. There are no fewer than four controversies engulfing Sinn Féin, from the Michael McMonagle employment references scandal, the resignation of Kildare South TD Patricia Ryan, the alleged texts sent by a party member to a 17-year-old, and of course, the shock resignation of Laois-Offaly TD and PAC chair Brian Stanley.
Meanwhile, People Before Profit TD Richard Boyd Barrett also raised Israel, Gaza and Lebanon during Leaders’ Questions, claiming the Government had been “dragged kicking and screaming” to take action.
He claimed the Government was contributing to genocide by allowing military flights to stop in Shannon which he claimed were carrying weapons and the Government was not inspecting, Marie O’Halloran reports.
Mr Harris called on Mr Boyd Barrett to stop “distorting the reality” adding that no permission had been sought or sanctioned for planes to land at Shannon with weaponry.
People Before Profit TD Paul Murphy intervened and repeatedly asked if he asked US President Joe Biden if he would stop sending weapons to Israel.
Mr Harris said that when “I sit down with the Palestinian president he thanks me for the actions we’re taking on behalf of the Irish people”.
It is only when he talks to Mr Boyd Barrett that he is accused of doing nothing, he said.
The Taoiseach said that all Mr Boyd Barrett did was shout and roar and that “when you’re shouting and roaring we’re acting”.
Meanwhile, Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald is expected today to name the party member who resigned after allegedly sending inappropriate messages to a teenager.
Labour leader Ivana Bacik, meanwhile, hit out at the “genocidal action” in Gaza and Lebanon. She said it was hard to see how the US could act as any kind of peacebroker when it was sending people to assist Israel in its bombardments.
She pointed to reports that the Government is looking at the Occupied Territories Bill, adding that she understood the Taoiseach had said Ireland is no longer looking for a change at EU level, Marie O’Halloran reports.
Ms Bacik pleaded with Mr Harris to pass the Occupied Territories Bill before the general election and urged him to use Ireland’s relationship and means of communication with the US to do everything in its power to put pressure to end the slaughter.
Although there are significant issues with the bill at EU level, the Taoiseach said Government would see if Ireland could move on the Occupied Territories Bill, adding that an International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruling in July had provided new context on the issue.
He described the deliberate firing on Unifil peacekeepers as a total breach of international law which was unacceptable.
He said what was happening in Lebanon should not lessen the focus on Gaza.
Mr Harris will be meeting other EU leaders this week and will raise the issue, he said, insisting that Ireland had acted repeatedly and was a leader at European level in its support for Palestine.
Mary Lou McDonald has opened Leaders’ Questions by raising disability services, an issue she has raised repeatedly, writes Marie O’Halloran.
The number of children waiting for completed assessments for disability services has more than doubled from 4,000 to 11,000 since Simon Harris became Taoiseach, she told the Dáil.
She said that an illegal substandard assessment scheme was devised under Mr Harris’s leadership as a short-term interim measure but was subsequently struck down by the High Court.
She called for the hiring of the therapists required, a resolution of the pay inequalities of different disability network teams and for a timeline for when no child will have to wait more than six months for their assessment to be completed.
The Taoiseach told her that a lot had been done but acknowledged that more needed to be done.
He pointed to the record budget for disability, which increased over the past five years by €1 billion adding that some of the funding would go towards resolving the issue of pay equality.
There had been ongoing efforts to recruit extra staff, he said.
He added there had been an additional 1,092 more assessments in the past three months because of changes and there is now a pathway to make significant progress on assessments of need because of an initiative started in May.
Many parents wanted the therapies rather than an elongated assessment of needs, he said, adding that he would engage with Ms McDonald and with parents on the reform of the law.
Several questions surrounding the resignation of Brian Stanley from Sinn Féin remain unanswered, namely the nature of a complaint.
Read more here before Leaders’ Questions which is due to begin in minutes.
Shortly before 4pm, statements are due to be made on child protection, during which Mary Lou McDonald is expected to make a “comprehensive statement”.
Separately, it is understood that a cover letter on a referral of matters arising from the party’s inquiry into allegations against former PAC chair Brian Stanley makes reference to text messages between the individuals involved in the case, Jack Horgan-Jones writes.
The original incident which led to the complaint is alleged to have taken place on 11th October last year, with a counter allegation relating to an incident which is alleged to have taken place on 13th October 2023.
The party first learned of the complaint on 26th July, and a formal submission was made on 2nd August.
Confusion has arisen over the manner in which the party submitted the referral to the Garda. It is understood it was hand delivered to Kevin Street Garda station around 4pm on Sunday, addressed to the chief superintendent.
Mary Lou McDonald to make a “comprehensive statement”
Mary Lou McDonald will make a “comprehensive statement” today concerning a party member’s inappropriate texts to a teenager.
A Sinn Féin spokesman said Ms McDonald will speak on the case of the party member who stood down after allegedly sending inappropriate text messages to a teenager, Jack Horgan-Jones reports.
The party is expected to address the steps it took in reporting the matter to the PSNI and the social services in Northern Ireland. The party is likely to come under pressure as well to outline the steps it took to notify the GAA if there was any involvement by the individual with that organisation.
Good afternoon, I am Jack White and along with my colleague Jennifer Bray and our politics team we will be bringing you live coverage of the Dáil this afternoon where a litany of issues arising from within Sinn Féin are expected to be raised over the coming hours.
Controversy surrounding Michael McMonagle, a former party press officer and Brian Stanley’s resignation from the party is expected to be raised in the Dáil.
Those in Government and some in Opposition had demanded that Sinn Féin make a statement on McMonagle who last month pleaded guilty to two charges of attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity, and 12 counts of attempted sexual communication with a child on dates in 2020 and 2021.
The party came under fire after it emerged that employment references were provided for McMonagle by Seán Mag Uidhir, a long-standing Sinn Féin figure who headed its media operation in Northern Ireland, and his colleague Caolán McGinley. The two officials left the party after it was revealed they had provided the references.
Separately, the circumstances leading to Laois-Offaly TD Brian Stanley’s sudden resignation during the weekend are expected to be probed.
Mr Stanley announced he was leaving Sinn Féin last Saturday, citing a “kangaroo court” set up by the party after the complaint about him.
Speaking earlier today, Taoiseach Simon Harris said some of the issues “are actually so serious and so grave that what they don’t require is political pot shots”.
“So what we shouldn’t see today is whataboutery,” the Fine Gael leader said.
“We shouldn’t see political theatrics. What we should see today is the leader of Sinn Féin take the opportunity to answer basic questions around timelines and process and around extraordinarily serious issues to do with the protection of children. We shouldn’t need to have a kind of drip-feed of information.”
