MARY HANAFIN HAS been criticised and accused of being disloyal to Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin by the wife of former taoiseach Brian Cowen.
Mary Cowen, who goes by the name Mary Molloy Cowen on Facebook, wrote a message critical of Hanafin, a former minister and now a councillor in Dún Laoghaire, on a private Fianna Fáil members discussion page earlier this week.
She said that Hanafin, who is seeking to win back her Dáil seat, appeared to think she is “running the party” and warned Martin to “watch his back as there wouldn’t be to (sic) much loyalty there”.
The post referred to comments Hanafin made to the Irish Independent earlier this week in which she claimed party members wanted her to influence Fianna Fáil policy.
It’s understood the Facebook post, which was first revealed by the Irish Independent, has since been deleted. It read:
Have just read the Irish Independent and I see an article about Mary Hanifin (sic) stating that Fianna Fáil members have called on her to influence party policy she not elected yet and she is running the party. Michael (sic) Martin better watch his back as there wouldn’t be to (sic) much loyalty there !!!!!!
In a response to a comment on the post, Cowen also noted that Hanafin is getting “plenty of air and press time”.
This refers to Hanafin’s appearance on a number of media outlets in recent days, discussing the future of Fianna Fáil. She has clashed with the party on a number of occasions in recent years.
Contacted by TheJournal.ie today, Hanafin said she would not be commenting.
The former minister was a vocal critic of Cowen after the collapse of the Fianna Fáil government in 2011.
In a subsequent RTÉ documentary about the Cowen government, she recalled how she’d warned him of the consequences of the botched cabinet reshuffle which led to his resignation as party leader.
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