Mary Lou McDonald accused of orchestrating an ‘elaborate cover-up’ for failing to divulge real reason for former SF senator Niall Ó Donnghaile’s sudden resignation from the Seanad last yearPolitician at centre of controversy was paid for months after resignationMary Lou said she did not tell the Houses of the Oireachtas the reason for his sudden departure because she was concerned about his mental health
In an unprecedented Dáil debate on child protection, Ms McDonald was forced to admit Mr Ó Donnghaile resigned from Sinn Féin after it emerged he sent inappropriate text messages to a teenager and another party member.
The Sinn Féin leader admitted he resigned from the party and the Seanad on October 5 last year, but it was not until four days before Christmas that she announced his departure along with a statement wishing him the best and thanking him for his work.
It can now be revealed that Mr Ó Donnghaile continued to be paid by the Houses of the Oireachtas up until January 22 last, after which time he received a termination lump sum and six monthly termination payments.
Tánaiste Micheál Martin accused Ms McDonald of “misleading” the Oireachtas by failing to reveal the factual details surrounding the senator’s exit from politics.
“It is clear Sinn Féin again failed to tell the truth on a very serious matter and seems to have been involved in a very elaborate cover-up,” Mr Martin said.
Mary Lou McDonald says Niall Ó Donnghaile’s actions were ‘not acceptable’ in Dáil statement
Speaking on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland this morning, Sinn Féin’s spokesperson on finance Pearse Doherty said it was a “stretch” to say that Ms McDonald gave Mr Ó Donnghaile a glowing reference when he resigned from the party last year.
Mr Doherty said he accepts that the full information surrounding Mr Ó Donnghaile’s resignation was not provided to the public and the Oireachtas but that he faced the full rigors of the party.
“As Mary Lou outlined in her very detailed statement in the Dáil yesterday, party processes kicked in immediately,” he said.
“We wanted this investigated by the PSNI and the social services. It was responded back to us that there was no finding of illegality or criminality.
“However, despite that, it was very clear to us that what Niall Ó Donnghaile had done was inappropriate. We made that clear to himself. He also made it clear to us that he was suffering serious mental health issues at that time.”
Mr O’Doherty said the party was “conscious” of Mr Ó Donnghaile’s mental health struggles at the time.
“It was very clear to us what Niall done was inappropriate. We were conscious of his mental health state. He was suffering a mental health crisis and a determination was made at that time,” he said.
“A decision was made around his personal health.”
Ms McDonald also divulged new details on the internal party investigation into Public Accounts Committee chair Brian Stanley, which led to his shock resignation from Sinn Féin late on Saturday night.
She said the complaint related to Mr Stanley’s “personal behaviour”, which the complainant said left her “traumatised and distressed”.
She said Mr Stanley made a “very serious” counter-complaint against the woman, which caused “deep concern” and he was urged to contact gardaí with the matter.
She said Mr Stanley’s complaint dates back to October last year and added that he has not brought his allegation to the attention of gardaí.
Responding in relation to Mr Stanley’s statement that Ms McDonald had “abused Dáil privilege”, Mr Doherty said: “I think that’s nonsense. Brian has claimed a Kangaroo court and let’s make it clear Brian was in attendance at the inquiry with his solicitor and his barrister,” he said.
“We have not put the details of his complaint into the public record, it would not be appropriate. But it is appropriate to come forward and to be transparent if he so wishes but that’s an issue for himself.
“He now needs to question whether he wants to make it clear as to what the inquiry was, why he responded when he got the parliamentary report form the party in the way that he did which was to resign from the party.”
Brian Stanley TD at Leinster House on Kildare Street, Dublin.
However, the major revelations in the child protection debate centred on Mr Ó Donnghaile’s text messages to party members.
Details of the controversy were first revealed in the Irish Independent last Saturday, but the former senator’s name only emerged when he issued a statement less than an hour before Ms McDonald outlined his case in the Dáil.
In the chamber, Ms McDonald detailed how a 17-year-old party member was receiving inappropriate and unwanted messages from Mr Ó Donnghaile and complained to the party in September of last year.
A formal party investigation was established, which also learnt of a second individual receiving inappropriate messages from Mr Ó Donnghaile.
Sinn Féin referred the matter to the PSNI and social services in Northern Ireland.
On September 27, the PSNI told the party a joint investigation was to be launched with social services, but no formal investigation followed because the “young person was content with the actions taken by the party”.
Ms McDonald said even though there was no findings of illegality, Sinn Féin still believed Mr Ó Donnghaile’s actions were “not acceptable”. She said this was “made clear” to him at a meeting in Belfast on October 5 of last year.
At the meeting, Mr Ó Donnghaile said he would resign from the Seanad and the party. However, his resignation was not announced for almost two months, on December 21.
She thanked the party’s former Seanad leader for his work and said she hoped he could get over his health challenges but never disclosed he had resigned from the party 10 weeks earlier over the text messages.
I hope that Niall can overcome the health challenges that he has had to deal with
Ms McDonald praised him for working “diligently”, making a “valuable contribution” to the Oireachtas.
“I hope that Niall can overcome the health challenges that he has had to deal with over the past number of months, and I wish him and his family the very best for the future,” she said in a statement released by the Sinn Féin press office on December 21.
She told RTÉ’s Six One News last night that the delay in the senator resigning was due to him being on sick leave.
She said she did not tell the Houses of the Oireachtas the reason for his sudden departure because she was concerned about his mental health.
Ms McDonald also admitted she did not contact GAA club Laochra Loch Lao, of which Mr Ó Donnghaile was the honorary president, to alert them to the fact the senator had resigned over inappropriate texts to a teenager.
Mr Ó Donnghaile only resigned from his position after he was named as the person sending the texts and the club issued a statement saying he did not have any contact with children or vulnerable groups.
The GAA did not respond to any queries when asked what action the organisation took when it learned about the controversy on Sunday.
Social Democrats leader Holly Cairns asked Ms McDonald what the difference was between her “glowing” statement for Mr Ó Donnghaile and the references written by two press officers for child abuser Michael McMonagle, which resulted in their resignations.
Ms Cairns asked how the minor who complained about the senator must have felt reading Ms McDonald’s reference.
Aontú leader Peadar Tóibín said Sinn Féin’s instinct to “protect the party over other things” is a “legacy of the Troubles”.
