TD Louise O’Reilly claims boy who received messages from disgraced ex-senator Niall Ó Donnghaile told party he was year older
Fine Gael’s Jennifer Carroll MacNeill accused Ms McDonald of providing “completely wrong information” in relation to the controversy engulfing former senator Niall Ó Donnghaile.
“Last week, the Sinn Féin leader admitted after repeated questioning, incorrectly, that a 17-year-old made a complaint about an inappropriate message from their party leader in the Seanad,” said Ms MacNeill.
Fine Gael’s Jennifer Carroll MacNeill. Photo: Getty
“There is nothing correct about this. Despite Sinn Féin repeatedly giving the false age at the time of the communications and complaint, we have established, through the teen himself, he was 16.
“Why did Sinn Féin continue to push this falsehood? Why didn’t they alert An Garda Síochána as to the activities of their senator?
“They were well able to call the guards out of an ‘abundance of caution’ in the case of Brian Stanley,” she added, referring to a separate controversy involving Mr Stanley, a TD who has resigned from the party.
“Sinn Féin couldn’t even be bothered to verify the details on the minor before alerting Northern authorities. Sixteen is a child, north and south. For child protection rules, north and south. Abundance of caution, where are you?
“The leader of Sinn Féin needs to correct the Dáil record this week.”
The teenager at the centre of the controversy issued a statement on the matter, saying he was 16 at the time of the texts. He has sought an apology from Ms McDonald over what he says is “disastrous handling” of his case.
In a statement to the Sunday Independent, Ms McDonald said she apologised for the hurt her words caused to the teenager, but fell short of apologising for the party’s handling of his concerns.
We need to put this young person at the centre of everything we do and everything we say
“All child protection protocols were followed with an immediate referral to the PSNI and social services,” she said.
“The protection of the young person was our primary concern. Niall Ó Donnghaile was held accountable and faced serious consequences for his unacceptable and inappropriate behaviour.”
The Sinn Féin leader added that she was “deeply sorry and angry that this young person had to endure this inappropriate and unacceptable behaviour”.
She said she was “equally sorry that my words, when Niall Ó Donnghaile resigned, caused distress to this young person”.
Sinn Féin TD Louise O’Reilly said the information given to the party by the young person was that he was 17.
Former Sinn Féin senator Niall Ó Donnghaile
Speaking to RTÉ, Ms O’Reilly said: “That was the information that we had and as we understood it, and there’s no further action required.
“She (Ms McDonald) gave the information accurate as she knew it at the time and based on information that had been given to us by the young person.
Sinn Féin do not, despite their claims, take child protection seriously, but are quick to look for an apology from RTÉ for satire on the Late Late Show
“We need to put this young person at the centre of everything we do and everything we say,” she added.
Commenting on Ms O’Reilly’s comments, Ms MacNeill said Sinn Féin “do not, despite their claims, take child protection seriously, but are quick to look for an apology from RTÉ for satire on the Late Late Show”.
This was a reference to an apology sought by Sinn Féin over a joke made by Late Late host Patrick Kielty on Friday night. Kielty said: “The hunt is on for people to take part in the Irish version of the hit reality show, The Traitors.”
His remarks were followed by images on the screen of Ms McDonald and Mr Stanley.
Sinn Féin called for an immediate apology, saying the reference amounted to electoral interference.
Sinn Féin TD Louise O’Reilly. Photo: Gareth Chaney
Ms O’Reilly also said the case of inappropriate texts being sent to a teenager was reported to the PSNI and social care services in Northern Ireland because the incident took place “in the North”.
“The PSNI are the governing authority and it was referred immediately to them,” she said, declining to answer why the matter was not reported to gardaí.
Sinn Féin TD Mairéad Farrell said on RTÉ radio that when the accusations came to light, the party immediately went to the appropriate authorities, which were the PSNI and social services.
She added that she does not know where the messages were sent from when it was put to her that they could have been sent from the Seanad, in which case gardaí should have been informed.
Ms Farrell said the matter was referred to the PSNI on the basis that the teenager lived in Northern Ireland, adding that the PSNI and social services in the North decide if other services need to be contacted.
Sinn Féin has been approached for comment.
