Main points
- Government parties have called on Sinn Féin make a statement on the controversy surrounding Michael McMonagle
- Party leader Mary Lou McDonald last week signalled that Sinn Féin would challenge the Government on its own child protection policies during today’s debate, saying “very senior members” of Coalition parties have written character references for “convicted rapists and child abusers”
- Green Party leader Roderic O’Gorman said he wants further information from Sinn Féin and Mr Stanley today around the circumstances of the Laois-Offaly TD’s resignation
- The nature of the complaint and counter complaints at the heart of the dispute have not been revealed, Sinn Féin said on Monday that it told Mr Stanley in September to go to the Garda with concerns he raised during a party inquiry into a complaint against him
- Former Sinn Féin senator Niall Ó Donnghaile said on Tuesday afternoon he was the party member who was reported to have sent inappropriate messages to a 17-year-old
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’
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 explainer 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.”
