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THE DÁIL IS no Westminster, but it certainly is a boys’ club: that’s the view of some current female TDs - and former Tánaiste Joan Burton.
Their comments came after Taoiseach Leo Varadkar was criticised for his response when he was asked if Leinster House was a safe place to work.
Varadkar managed to deflect the blame for macho-ism onto the political parties of the left.
“That is not to say there isn’t macho behaviour on occasion, in the Oireachtas, there certainly is, but I have spoken myself in the past about how very often when you’re trying to conduct normal business in the Dáil you’re interrupted and shouted down constantly,” he said, before adding:
But that is largely perpetrated by men and women of Sinn Féin and the left rather than men specifically.
His response sparked a backlash from two female Sinn Féin TDs, who said the discussion of sexual harassment is not the time to be taking political “pot shots” at the opposition.
“These are very serious issues and it is disgraceful that the Taoiseach would view such matters through the prism of political advantage,” said the party’s deputy leader, Mary Lou McDonald.
“This is not the first time that the Taoiseach has sought to play to his gallery when matters of significance are raised with him. It happens daily. Women inside and outside the Dáil deserve more from the head of government.”
‘Boys’ club’
While McDonald said Leinster House is very much a “boys’ club”, it does not appear to have the same dark undercurrent that has been revealed at Westminster, where there has been a raft of sexual harassment allegations.
“I don’t feel it is very toxic in the Oireachtas in the same way that it is playing out in Westminster. That is not my sense of it,” said McDonald.
“It is a boys’ club. Sure how could it not be when you look at the numbers,” she said, adding it is important to begin to ask questions and look at ourselves and the cultures that operate within workplaces.
“People know I am well able to handle the cut and thrust and the heckling. This isn’t about women being ‘cry babies’ or ‘why us?’ This is about any woman who might have experienced sexual harassment in the workplace being able to speak out,” she said.
“Outrageous” is how Louise O’Reilly dubbed the Taoiseach’s response, adding that having worked in trade unions in the past she acknowledges there can be a level of sexism in all workplaces. However, she said strong leadership on the issue can stamp it out – leadership which she said that the Taoiseach is lacking on this topic.
‘Slap in the face’
“That response feels like a slap in the face to any woman that raises the issue of sexual harassment… it is very unbecoming,” she added.
The Taoiseach’s remarks came on the same day in which Junior Minister Mary Mitchell O’Connor spoke out against sexism in our national parliament.
She was asked if she had ever experienced sexual harassment in the Oireachtas.
She said she had not.
But when asked about bullying, such as women being put down at meetings and their voices not being listened to as much as their male counterparts, she said:
I certainly have, I would believe there is sexism in the Dáil, I have said that before. I also believe there is a revolution happening, women want their voices heard in the arts, in industry, in education and in politics.
Due to the serious allegations in the UK parliament, it was only a matter of time before similar questions were asked of Irish politicians.
The Houses of the Oireachtas moved swiftly, putting proposals on the table to introduce a new set of policies on dealing with sexual misconduct allegations by staff at Leinster House.
The issue is also due to be raised by the Houses of the Oireachtas commission in the coming weeks.
Labour’s Joan Burton agreed with McDonald last night, saying that the Dáil is the “archetypal male club”.
“There is a culture problem – whereby men feel powerful and women do not feel empowered,” she told TheJournal.ie.
In 2010, the former Taoiseach Brian Cowen came under fire when he told the then-Labour party leader Eamon Gilmore to “rein her (Joan Burton) in now and again”.
When asked about it now, she said: “That was the culture at the time. It was a case of ‘can you ever shut her up’. There is still a feeling of a boys’ club, notwithstanding the fact there are more women in the Dáil, but it is not a situation of empowerment in women.”
Burton said there are still a lot of “traditional” men in Leinster House, as she put it, who might think it is okay to “pat women on the head”. She said there is still an element of “typecasting” women in some cases, but added that the vast majority of men in the Dáil see women as equal. However, “from time to time, they can fall bad of that”.
What is required now is a code of respect for all – women and men, said Burton. While anger is part of politics, she said there should be robust debate where people can express themselves and not in a “derogatory way”.
The Dublin TD said there are times when men are “less patient, have less regard and have less respect when women are speaking”.
‘The Dáil is no Westminster’
A number of female TDs have told TheJournal.ie they would be very surprised if allegations similar to those in Westminster emerged from Leinster House.
However, it was generally acceptable to most that certain “commentary” by male politicians around women’s appearances or their intelligence can be commonplace.
“Commentary is made, but it is not done so maliciously. It is done more to infantalise women,” said one TD.
“We live in a very sexist society,” said another, who added that they had never been sexually harassed in the Dáil, but said passing comments had been made.
One said it was more a case of “man-splaining” to women in Leinster House, while another described it as very much a “golf club” mentality at play.
“I have never experienced anything like that,” Fianna Fáil’s Defence spokesperson, Lisa Chambers told TheJournal.ie.
She welcomed the fact that women are now speaking out across many industries. “I don’t think it should be about vilifying all men,” she added.
Solidarity-PBP TD Brid Smith said she has never been propositioned or harassed in Leinster House, but said she has suffered sexual harassment in other jobs she has held.
“I wouldn’t say the Dáil is overtly sexist,” she added.
‘Lapgate’
It is not the first time that the words ‘sexism’ and ‘Leinster House’ have appeared together in the same headline.
One incident even got its own name: Lapgate.
This was when, in 2013, Fine Gael TD Tom Barry grabbed his colleague Deputy Áine Collins onto his lap during a break in a debate on abortion legislation.
At the time, a Fine Gael spokesperson said:
It was a silly incident that probably shouldn’t have happened, but the two of them are good friends and there was no malice involved.
This was followed by a separate incident in which Senator David Norris told Fine Gael’s Regina Doherty TD she was “talking through her fanny”.
There was also the case in which Mary Mitchell O’Connor was dubbed “Ms Piggy” by some male colleagues.
Mick Wallace, Shane Ross and Luke Ming Flanagan came under fire after Wallace was recorded in conversation with the TDs during the order of business, unaware that a nearby microphone was recording what he was saying.
In 2010, an allegation of sexism came from the then-Tánaiste Mary Coughlan. Fine Gael’s Charlie Flanagan asked her about legislation on reforming company law and when it would be complete.
Coughlan said the Bill was “huge legislation” and was being worked on.
Flanagan retorted: “It’s too big for you.”
“If the Deputy wishes to throw a condescending, sexist remark across the House, that is fine. It is very much the calibre of Deputy Flanagan but I would expect more from him after all these years in the House,” she replied angrily.
A bemused Fine Gael TD Olivia Mitchell asked “where was it sexist?”, while James Reilly said: “Talk about imagined slights.”
Rewinding a few more years, other utterances in the Dáil have also come under the spotlight, such as when Albert Reynolds said “that’s women for you” when heckled by former Justice Minister Nora Owen.
Former Fianna Fáil Minister Mary O’Rourke has also written about her own experiences of sexism during her long career in politics.
When she was a Cabinet minister, the Taoiseach Charlie Haughey would ask if she had been shopping lately or bought any new dresses.
One can only hope that the behaviour of some Westminster MPs was during isolated incidents, and cases that will not be repeated here.
But just because there are no allegations on this side of the water, it does not mean we should stick our heads in the sand when it comes to examining those in powerful positions.
We need to ask those uncomfortable questions and shine a light on the issue that has been left in the dark for far too long.
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Tíocfaidh Allah
Thanks for the laugh.
Looking forward to the kneecapping video after they kidnap Vincent Browne.
Here’s another good laugh while we are all in the Friday spirit…..wait for it……….
“Gerry was never a member of any such organisation”!
ISIS targets innocent civilians indiscriminately, based on self-righteous fanaticism, taking no account of democracy, human rights or common decency. PIRA/SF on the other hand… eh…
Gerry is a peaceful man.
The only beheading that he does is when he heads out to his local..
If he wasn’t in the PIRA then why wasn’t he in it, he was persuading others his age to join them and constantly making excuses for their actions. He was no ordinary civilian.
Jaysus Adrian if he was in it you give out and if he wasn’t in it you give out! Which is it/
Ha. That awkward moment when you realise you are now extreme left wing, a vehement water protester, and suddenly a born again liar or active denier of anything bad Gerry Adams….
Diarmuid, using the tag “PIRA/SF” just shows that you seem to be stuck in the same time warp as ISIS. If you ever get back (or even move forward for that matter) to the 21st century let us know.
thats his answer to everything, I am/was not a member.
“he was persuading other his age to join”? Really, that would have been a crime and he would have been arrested for it. He has never been arrested for that or anything else!
That’s right Adrian, he was a political activist, he grew up in what was virtually an apartheid state and struggled against injustice for most of his life, he could have just rolled over and accepted it but he didn’t!
That’s right Adrian, he was a political activist, he grew up in what was virtually an apartheid state and struggled against injustice for most of his life, he could have just rolled over and accepted it but he didn’t!
The fact that Adams is incapable of telling the truth makes him illegible to become leader of this nation.
Was Rabbite right?
Do we, like gullible virgins, want to be lied to by saavy political alpha males? Do we want to believe their lies and let them use us as they will?
Or are we grown ups? Do we respect straight speaking, honesty and integrity.
It would seem by popular polls and the fabricated accounts of Gerry Adams, Kenny and Aherne that we are a nation of gullible juveniles – incapable of making grown up decisions for ourselves.
Only the people can decide that despite dark influences in the guise of the brindependent.
First class, Séamus!
I think most of you have forgotten if you ever knew what it was to live in the north when practically the first question on any job application was “what religion are you” and if you answered Catholic most of the decent well paid jobs were closed to you.
To add insult to injury the B-Specials (if you don’t know who they are, google them) would come round every so often and break every window in the house and terrorise the occupants. If they were really cracking down those going 60 work sometimes weren’t sure when they left the house that they’d get back in one piece. I know because relatives of mine were refugees from Antrim in the 60s.
The one time Captain O’Neil even mentioned power sharing the Unionists went on strike and made all sorts of threats till power sharing was taken off the table. Then there was the Civil Rights March to Burntollet Bridge and the rest, as they say, is history.
On the other hand Diarmuid the IRA were fighting against an apartheid state where one side of the community were brutalized and other side was supported by the British government and eventually by fine gael and the independent newspaper group. Catholics need not apply, Catholics cannot vote and if you protested your house was broken into by the authorities and you were arrested without charge, just like it was in South Africa and the way it is today where the Palestinian people are being abused by the jewish state of israel. History is obviously not required when you make a comment Diarmuid
Adams is not the only one with copyright on inability yo speak the truth in Dáil Éireann. “Not a red cent”, “it is immoral to tax a man (or woman’s) home” etc, etc.
Brian Ward, you’re has hilarious as Gerry. PIRA and SF were two sides of the same coin. Armalite and ballotbox. You take up historical revisionism as a hobby?
@Paul Lane. There was huge inequality, which was generally resolved by the ’80s in NI. It didn’t need two more decades of PIRA/SF murdering innocent men, women and children with zero mandate from the nationalist people.
In between hiding sex offenders in the south!!!
He grew up in a state where he could have done whatever he wanted, go wherever he wanted. Blacks in SA didn’t have those rights so how it can be described as an Apartheid state is beyond me. Adams and people like him made the nationalist communities more deprived than the unionists or the British ever could have.
Mick
You left out the usual advice that if we have any evidence that Gerra was in the IRA we should report it to the Gardai!
Hiding under the bed maybe. Let others do the dirty work.
In similar circumstances, others have been called either liers or cowards.
Wouldn’t apply to the brave Jarry of course
Jopmarsy
Adams grew up in an environment that allowed thugs to obtain weapons and develop functional IEDs and wage war against people of the Protestant faith in a sectarian conflict that resulted in thousands of deaths and many more maimings.
Young Protestant males were murdered along the Border for no other reason other than to see their lands move into Catholic hands.
The economic damage caused by this sectarian conflict was so enormous it makes the current National debt look puny by comparison.
And all for what……..with the Union more firmly established than ever before with Adams supporting it and Sinn Fein with its Military Wing now helping Her Majesty to administer the Privince.
PS I don’t have anything complimentary to say about the Loyalist side either.
Or he could have joined the SDLP
That Seamus, is genius, pure and simple.
Mary, it’s funny, every time Adams alleged IRA membership comes up, people try to explain why young men in the north might have felt the need to join up and why it might have been justified. I have no issue with that, in fact I do understand why people joined up at the time.
That’s not the point when it comes to Adams though. The point is that Adams denies he was ever in the IRA. So the question for everyone is, do you believe him?
Comment of the century!!!! I made my OH jump when I saw this :-)
Sean, was this the same Pat Rabbitte who admitted to lying during election campaigns? Are you seriously using him as a role model?
He couldn’t do anything he wanted, couldn’t get proper housing or jobs, gerrymandering was rife, Catholics were second class citizens in their own country, it was a Protestant state for a Protestant people, but not anymore!
Where were you hiding Brendan?
Wouldn’t have been any war if there had been no discrimination, a lot of Catholics were murdered by Protestant thugs, just thought I would mention that as you forgot to, the Catholics will be the majority within the next 3 years and they will decide if Northern Ireland remains in the UK.
@Jopsmarshy. Indeed. The SDLP did a great job achieving equality by democratic means, while SF/PIRA, with no mandate, murdered innocent men, women and children.
@mary. It may surprise you to learn Mary that most of us in ROI do not come from Norniron. In fact the biggest irritant in our lives is having to put up with the consequences of your community’s “pot calling the kettle black bullshit”
Just to be clear, most people really don’t give a s**t about the North.
Speak for yourself there Mr. Palmer. Out of interest I hope you have no plans to celebrate the 1916 centenary because the signatories would turn in their grave if they heard your attitude towards the North.
A lot of Catholics were murdered by Protestant thugs, fair enough. A lot of Catholics were also murdered by Catholic thugs, a lot of protestants were murdered by Catholic thugs too.
Catholics will be the majority in the next 3 years?? If you think this comes down to a simple sectarian headcount then you are naive beyond words. Clutching at straws in typical republican fashion.
I think Gerry’s comment shows the frustration that many people feel after being labeled a terrorist for opposing Irish Water.
In all fairness, there were definitely members of the Tallaght Band at that protest in Jobstown last saturday.
Justin
You should of read the short article.
He said he was not a member of ISIS.
@Justin have you proof Gerry was leader of the IRA?why didn’t you go to the RUC or PSNI because they’ve been looking for proof since the 70′s
Yes Glen, I get that, do you not get that he’s making a joke on his other claim not to have been in the IRA. I know the subtleties would be lost on you glen!
Oh Norman, you are letting yourself down now, stick to the water will you cause you’re only going to look daft if you start defending Adams.
Glen you beggar believe!
Justin I’m not defending Gerry I’m just curious to what proof you had of Gerry’s leadership of the IRA.Also why didn’t you inform the northern police?
The PIRA has probably killed more people than ISIS at this point.
Do you have proof he wasnt?
Sarge I think you’ll find the burden of proof is on the accuser.
Yes Norman, the British negotiated with him in the 70′s because of his vast experience as a “barman” now don’t be annoying me with trite nonsense about Adams not been a senior IRA commander.
Justin so no proof then just your own opinion , okay so.
Justin btw i never said he was or wasn’t a member.You really should read a comment before you reply,helps to prevent silly responses.
Justin
I have never voted SF but I’m going to in the next election just to annoy you.
SF logic = Adams is innocent because he was never convicted in a court of law (which we never recognised) in a state (we never recognised).
Norman in your opinion, why do you think the British negotiated with him in the 70′s when he wasn’t even a leading figure in SF at the time? Simple question, what do you think, can you answer without going off on a tangent.
Justin for whatever reason , he had the ear of the IRA and that helped bring about peace.As to his membership he has denied it and despite the best efforts of British and Irish law enforcement it at the moment remains unproven.
Now as I said if you have proof give it to those that require it .
Awe, good for you Glen! great way to decide how to vote, you make this a better world.
“for whatever reason” ’nuff said.
Lance Armstrong was never convicted of doping.
@ Justin: “why do you think the British negotiated with him in the 70′s when he wasn’t even a leading figure in SF at the time? ”
Justin, Adams became vice president of SF ‘in the 70s’, can you link to evidence that the british were negotiating with him prior to this?
‘For whatever reason ‘is all I can say unlike you I don’t make assumptions. I’m not privy to the decision making process of the British authorities or their reasons for dealing with Adams.
Were jamming, no interest in arguing with a dyed in the wool shinner like your self. Blinded by the light of Gerry.
Sorry Justin, this isn’t RTE or the indo. If you’re going to pull statements out of your h0le that you can’t back up, you’ll be called on it.
So it’s Friday, which is always great, best part of the weekend, in a great mood, and then I see the the bitter crywank sad acts frothing over a joke, and I’m like, this is gonna be a great weekend! Diarmuid, Justin and Sarge, I owe yee one.
#diarmuid
and you know this or just more spouting b/s?
He’s being labelled a terrorist for being a terrorist. It’s quite simple.
How did you type that with your cock in your hand?
Sarge, you don’t prove a negative, back to school lad!!
@Mick. Yeah I know Lance Armstrong was never convicted of doping. And I know Gerry Adams was never convicted of being a PIRA leader.
Green thumb for you Glen. First for me!
But he Lance Armstrong has admitted to doping.
Yep, after he denied the accusations of his friends and people he worked with for years. Sound familiar?
In Northern Ireland there are countless examples of innocent people being shot indiscriminately by the British Army – but they are not terrorists – they’re the “army” …
And Jarry never tells a fib. Squeaky clean boy that he is….
@Norman. When you are in bed with GSOC Whitehall makes certain that you have the best quality teflon….
ISIS have killed 5,500 civilians in Iraq alone in the last year; the IRA killed 621 civilians in almost twenty five years. Hardly comparable.
Do you also find grammatical accuracy as a “nonsense”?
Just started to read article and it was already finished
He’s telling the truth. ISIS don’t turn a blind eye to rape within their ranks.
How do you know that?.Have you got a direct line to ISIS where they tell you the ins and outs of their daily activities.
I’d say rape is pretty common among their ranks. Only difference is that the victim would be stoned to death for her part in the act.
ISIS don’t do blinding just beheading.
Comparing Water protesters with a blood thirsty religious group was appalling. The TD in question ,if he had any morals would realise the honourable thing to do would be to resign.But I referred to a TD so no honour,no resignation.
Rónán Duffy, would you please explain exactly what you mean by your comment….
“That clears that up, anything else we should know Gerry?”
Because to me it seems like a very poor attempt at humor, or just plain simple sh.it stirring by someone that is intellectually unable to come up with a viable a story..
Yes! But shhhh! Don’t tell the infidels!
Niall have you seen what they do to women that they capture? The sell them as slaves. They encourage sexual violence as a weapon of war. You on the other hand seem to think that it is a viable weapon of politics.
BTW….What are ye Fine Gaelers doing for the 1916 terrorist commemorations in Dublin – are ye all going to it – to stand an salute an all?
Oh wait – sorry- that was in black n white an therefore ‘good’ terrorism!
@padraic probably stay in (or under) the bed just like “he who was never a member of the IRA” obviously did when his community was being attacked . Because if he wasn’t a member, what was he doing? Perhaps GCHQ knows….
Adams does be as cool as a cucumber! I’d say yer man Kenny has many a sleepless night over Gerry.Not long now Kenny,the people are awake.
What a silly comment Brendan. I think you forgetting the fact that Adams and his party were instrumental in bringing peace to the North.
What a childish comment – recycling the auld Fine Gael nonsense.
Wuhooooo Scooter, we are so lucky to have Jarry bringing us peace. What would we have done without him and his ilk? Give me a bucket….
To answer your question, we’d have done what we did for decades before: abandoned nationalists in a two tiered, gerrymandered, sectarian society.
In the same way Fine Gael turned a blind eye to rape in industrial schools for 50 years.
No Niall, they actively encourage sectarian acts of brutal rape and violence against women. You’re an idiot.
Nìl aon Jihaid mar do Jhihaid féin.
If he grew the beard a bit longer, lost the glasses and got himself one of those fancy head scarfs then I’d be be a tad suspicious, but for now he’s just plain ould Gerry.
Can we believe him?
ISIS may be genocidal lunatics, but they have standards in fairness.
He has the beard for it !
Seriously? What have you been taking this morning?
He doesn’t have to be, but could probably do a bit of consulting for them?
When ISIS make there way over here.Ye will be all looking for Gerrys help
Why David? If ISIS make there way over here will he negotiate a peace deal with them.
Why David? Cause he’s got form with the gun?
Gerry will share power with them and call it a victory?
Sorry Gerry, but Paul Murphy has already taken that role! I’ve a suspicion that the tweet maybe an attempt at humour
So does that mean the massive irish movement on the streets are all members of an extremist group? The attempt to divide the largest mass movement of irish people in a generation who are opposed to the selling off to private interest and direct taxation of our water supply by painting us as murders and rapist will not work in fact it is acting as a rallying call. If irish water is not abolished there will be further civil unrest and if Kenny and the boys in the dail bar refuse to listen to the people they represent they will directly cause huge damage to our society.
Big push on the 10th to show it’s more then am extremist Muslim group that has an issue with the monstrosity that is the quango irish water !
I feel like Mrs Doyle when the sarcastic priest is staying on craggy island with them…
What about the IRA then Gerry???..
What has the IRA got to do with ISIS.
Please explain more tom
We don’t like ISIS, we don’t like the IRA and we don’t like SINN FEIN.
And we don’t trust Gerry Adams or any of them for that matter.
Get in the bin all four of you. You belong together.
Who this we pale face ?.. Speak for yourself…. Love ya big G
Kevin – When you say we don’t like Sinn Féin. Who’s we?
We?
Kevins a Fianna Fail man. So, although the ‘we’ in his comment don’t like or trust the IRA, his former party leader was happy enough to try supply them with weapons back in the 70s.
Kevin who is the ” we” in your post, have you a big white rabbit called Harvey sat beside you???
@Martin Byrne. The 90.1 percent of the people who didn’t vote for SF in 2011 don’t like you. You are not the biggest party in Ireland, you got 9.9% of the vote where it matters and no amount of RTE supported spin can change that fact
Brendan – Let’s see in the next election :)
@Martin Looking forward to it…..
Kevin, I see that you are having some problems with pronouns. For future reference, the first-person, personal pronoun is ‘I’.
Troll,s are all over this story like a rash it seems to have unleashed the anti G.Adams wing of the troll army. If your masters spent as much time trying to run the country as you lot do on Shinner bashing maybe we wouldn’t be in this mess. Wishing you all the best in your retirement from the troll army.
What’s the definition of a Troll Alan? Someone who disagrees with you?
People like you Brendan who comment on any comment you don’t agree with. It’s like a carpet bombing of the comments section sometimes with the anti-SF lot.
ChArle Rex thank god I never had the problem that Gerry Adams had over his brother or many other families and I take from your disgusting comment neither have u but I know one thing family bond is a very strong thing and not one of us know what we would do in their shoes I would hope I’d do the right thing and report them but this is the point not one of us know till it happen now go away and try to score point on something less hurtful to a lot of people
Why did he cover up for his child abuser brother?
Because he was his brother.
Oh sorry, that’s okay then.
Why did members of the current government cover up for the rape and abuse of thousands of children by the Catholic Church ? Got any proof that Gerry knew about his brother? I’ve got plenty to prove my accusations Now back in your box troll.
Charles, why muddy the waters with such an emotive subject, please refrain from using cheap shots to make a point.
Oh bless. I hurt the shinners feelings. Cheer up love.
So everyone who challenges you for using the child abuse attack is a shinner? Grow TFU
Kool, I’d rather gerry addressed the issues maryloo deflected skillfully then read his ‘hilarious’ tweets. Any other leader of a party would be out of a job now. Luckily shinners are very forgiving of their deified leader.
It’s a valid question. If you prefer to consider it an attack, that’s on you. The man has questions to answer. Simples
Please leave child abuse remarks out of your comments as it’s not clever and demeans those who may have experienced such things
The Catholic Church, the IRA, UDA, Sinn Fein etc. are all the dirty fcukers who represent our little society and in the centre is Gerry – tweeting sh%te.
Kool – nicely deflected. As I explained to a different shinner recently, it’s happened in my wider family but we didn’t find out till after the monster had died. I’d have dragged him to a garda station in a heartbeat. So yes, to answer a poster below this, I do know how I’d react on this situation. If you are happy to call important questions ‘point scoring’ that’s on you and your faux hurt. I’m not.
Have you ever heard the word ‘denial’ being used when it comes to abuse cases ?
@Paddy. Amazing how any conversation about GA or NI always ends up with the apologists doing the Northern Ireland “Whataboutery” mantra
Now now. He’s the one who brought up the cover up of abuse on a completly unrelated subject in an effort to play the what aboutery card.If he wants all cover up allegations investigated lets start with the ones we actually have evidence for not the ones we wish we had evidence for.
Gerry not a member of
Isis -tick..Gerry not a member of the IRA – tick
I’m sorry I asked him this yesterday on Twitter :-)
I think is a absolute disgrace the lack of respect a lot of people have for Mr Adams. Yet ye fools have voted in fool after fool to run our country. Ye may think ye are smart and clever but ye are actually brain washed sheep. I can’t guarantee ye will see the light someday because ye probably come from a long line of sheep. But the light is coming
Was Gerry involved with some other terrorist organisation? He denies that too…
Wasn’t Gaddafi one of his best mate .
Wasn’t Pinochet Thatcher’s BFF?!!!
Isis haven’t gone away you know.
Terrorist banter is great craic. The PIRA has probably killed more people than ISIS.
Not even close. At most, the PIRA killed 2000 in 31 years. ISIS have killed over 8000 civilians in Iraq in the first eight months of this year. Stop spouting random bullcrud…
A former terrorist leader cracking terrorist jokes is bullcrud..
In what parts of our country, did SF/IRA facilitate the placement of paedophiles?
You can tweet them if you want.
Between Sinn Fein, the RCC and an accommodating/pimping political class this country has ended up a paedophiles paradise – second only to Thailand.
Sean, you forgot to mention that successive FG and FF governments also facilitated paedophilia. Stones in glasshouses and all that.
The fact Gerry Adams was an IRA member doesn’t make him ISIS. Different types of terrorism and ideologies. Please respect our terrorists
It really gets me when people spell freedom fighter wrong :(
Ah but it’s really hard to believe anything that man says.
Now that he has denied it, I sorta believe he is.
Course he wasn’t in the IRA he just became pen pals with the convicted IRA killers of Garda Jerry McCabe while they were in prison then decided he’d go visit them in prison as you do…
He could teach ISIS a thing or two
I’m beginning to warm to this Mr Adams :-D
Why you no post my comments? :(
It’s your broken English mate, fix that and come back sometime in the future.
He was never in the IRA either. Marie Cahill showed him up.
They haven’t gone away you know
He’s never denied being in the IRA
I think he has actually, repeatedly. Not sure if you saw Fintan O’Toole’s recent article summarising numerous examples of Gerry’s struggles with accuracy? One of those examples was his denials about being in the IRA. Interestingly, Gerry wrote to the IT about this article but didn’t try to contradict anything Fintan said. http://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/never-mind-the-evidence-feel-the-truthiness-of-what-gerry-adams-says-1.1978855
PS here’s an stuck with a direct quote from Adams saying “I have not been and am not a member of the IRA”. http://www.theguardian.com/uk/2002/oct/01/northernireland.northernireland
The question is, do his supporters believe he’s telling the truth about that? If not, then how can anyone believe anything he says?
“an stuck”?! Weird! Was meant to say “an article”!
I love how you share an article by Fintan O’Toole as if he were a real journalist rather than an establishment hack.
Wow great article
Oh yes he IS!
What a wonderful sense of humour he has.
I don’t believe him.
Shave the beard jerry there onto you…..Allah akhbar jerry lol
Wow news
Noel coonan should be more concerned about what group he is in. You know noel your talking shit.
Why you no post my reply journal??
Perhaps they no like it
Ya that was some apology alright
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