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MARY LOU MCDONALD has said every citizen has a right to defend and vindicate their good name, as it emerged her husband has threatened to sue the author of a biography on the Sinn Féin leader.
It has been reported that solicitors acting on behalf of Martin Lanigan issued a letter to Shane Ross in relation to his recently published book.
It is understood the legal action is related to a chapter in the book, entitled Mary Lou McDonald: A Republican Riddle, about the purchase and renovation of their family home in Cabra, Dublin.
Asked about the legal letter today, McDonald said: “Obviously, our system relies on two things – freedom of expression, freedom of the press and also the right of every citizen to defend and vindicate their good name.
“And my husband is a private citizen and I think those rights for private citizens are especially important.”
Ross told the Sunday Independent at the weekend that he was “surprised” to receive the letter.
He said that there was “no allegation in the book of impropriety”, but that the book asked “reasonable questions, which should be answered”.
He said he intended to fully defend any proceedings.
In a statement to the Sunday newspaper, Ross said: “I was surprised to receive the letter from the solicitor for Mary Lou’s husband last week. I had corresponded with Martin when writing the biography, asking to interview him for the book.
“I also contacted Mary Lou’s office seeking to put questions to her. Unfortunately, I received no response in either case.
“I believe it is perfectly appropriate that the ownership of all politician’s properties held jointly with their partners should be transparent and do not in any way accept that the subject is a breach of privacy.
“There is no allegation in the book of impropriety over the refurbishment of their house be either Martin Lanigan or Mary Lou.
“Indeed, it is explicitly stated on page 184: ‘There is nothing to suggest that Mary Lou has ever been involved in anything untoward or has been other than a person of impeccable financial integrity, but she ruthlessly demands transparency of others’.
“The book seeks similar transparency, asking reasonable questions which should be answered. They have been asked before and have never been addressed.”
He added: “It is essential that freedom of speech is not curtailed in the political arena by means of threats of legal action or by misguided claims that privacy has been breached.”
It comes as some senior ministers accused Sinn Féin of using legal threats as a strategy to “stifle debate”.
Both Taoiseach Micheal Martin and Tanaiste Leo Varadkar questioned the party’s use of legal letters.
Last week, Varadkar said that three elected Fine Gael members have received legal letters from Sinn Féin figures.
He questioned whether the legal action was “something more strategic”.
Sinn Féin has previously said that the party does not fund any cases taken by its elected representatives.
“Legal actions are funded by those who have no option but to vindicate their good names in the face of false accusations made by others,” a party spokesman said.
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I do think Mary Lou is right in respect of the purchase and upgrade of her family home, that is a private matter between any couple and their lender and solicitors and is not an avenue for public examination or book material, would Shane Ross like to disclose such personal information, seems a new low , surely Shane is not that desperate for book sales.
@Honeybee: Bertie got grilled on his house purchase and renovation (I’m no fan of his) .. so why can’t other TDs get the same?
@Bri Lyons: Bertie/house purchase/renovation /no bank account/lol
@Frank Cauldhame: only found that out because people asked questions and investigated…, which is precisely what is happening in this case.
@Bri Lyons: Michael Lowry also got quizzed on his extension
@Bri Lyons: Not quite true, it was Bertie who disclosed in 1993 and 1994 that he had received payments from friends which he described as personal loans The Taoiseach described the payments as personal loans. Eight people gave him £22,500. Each gave £2,500, with the exception of Pádraic O’Connor, then chief executive of NCB, who contributed £5,000. If they wished to give him money that was their business, but it became everybody’s business when some of them were subsequently given plumb Government appointments. Another payment of £16,500 was whipped up by a different group of friends that included Joe Burke, who was later appointed chairman of the Dublin Port Company. Bertie also admitted that he had received a further contribution of almost £8,000 as a result of a whip-around during a visit to Manchester. This was organised by the late Tim Kilroe, with the result that Bertie did not know who contributed what. HE DEPICTED his voluntary disclosure as part of coming clean. It was he who disclosed the Manchester money, but when Enda Kenny asked him in the Dáil last October about the purchase of his house, the Taoiseach made no mention of the £30,000 given to him by Michael Wall, who had been one of the organisers of the Manchester trip. Bertie said the money was for renovations to a house he was to rent, even though Wall had not yet purchased it. Bertie’s coming clean arose from the tribunal disclosures , there is no parallel with the private purchase by Mary Lou and her husband of their home.
@Honeybee: SF TDs apparently only took the average industrial wage in an around the time this house was bought, renovated and extended. Does not compute.
@Bri Lyons: There’s a difference between journalists asking those questions in the common interest and a political opponent writing an entire book of conjecture with probable intent to damage.
@Bri Lyons: conveniently ignoring the fact that she is not the only person in the house bringing in an income,sorry Honeybee but that is a lazy and cheap comment.
@derek hennessy: sorry Honeybee that comment was aimed at Bri Lyons,apologies once again.
@Frank Cauldhame: He couldn’t open one in the Northern Bank.
@Rochelle: it doesn’t matter who asks the questions, it’s the answers that are important.
We should never go back to repeat the mistakes of the Haughey era. If a politician has a lifestyle that doesn’t seem to add up, it is right to ask the question.
And as for Mary Lou McDonald complaining about the question being asked, she should remember that Sinn Fein asked questions about Michael D Higgins’ assets when their commander wanted to become President of Ireland.
@derek hennessy: never ignored it .. it’s them ignoring the questions… in addition to the financing how do you apply for planning permission on a property you don’t own?
@John Mulligan: you are all ove articles about SF. You must be tormented with Mary lou constantly living in your head rent free.
@Bri Lyons: Ahern was in front on a Corruption Tribunal… There were no Sinn Féin TDs asked to appear!
@Bri Lyons: It is perfectly legal to apply for planning permission on property you do not own provided you have a letter of consent included in the application from the legal owner. Many people buy property and sites once permission is granted.
Section 5.13 of the Development Management Guidelines state:
5.13 Issues relating to title to land
Under the Planning Regulations as amended, a planning applicant who is not
the legal owner of the land or structure in question must submit a letter of
consent from the owner in order to make the planning application. Where an
applicant is not the owner and does not submit such a letter of consent, the
application must be invalidated.
@Brian Madden: I reckon John has a picture of mary Lou on his dartboard but he still can’t hit it.
@Bri Lyons: okay Bri I might be wrong but from what I understand about the story is that they had a mortgage on the house so I would assume that in reality they did own it but if I am wrong I stand corrected,I am not an average sinn fein supporter,I was brought up in Dundrum and I might not even vote for them to be honest but I will say that if you make allegations against someone they have a right to defend themselves especially if you can’t provide proof,just my opinion and for the record I would defend any FF,FG or a member of any other political party in the same situation,it seems to me that SF are doing so well at the moment that the establishment is getting scared,my vote will definitely go center left but where I don’t know yet,trust me it won’t be FF,FG or Green.
@Bri Lyons: Bertie was the one who “won money on a horse”
@Honeybee: if that kind of slander went on in a workplace, Shane Ross would be up for the worst type of bullying.
@Honeybee: she was supposed to be taking home the average wage at the time. Her husband job was not paying that much so all what is nring asked is for her to be as transparent on this as she demands of others? I don’t see anything wrong in this
@Rochelle: Great book though.
I’d love to know how Charles Haughey could afford his mansion and grounds in Kinsealy, his island off the coast of Kerry and his yacht. I’d also love to know how Bertie Ahern could manage without a bank account. The real truth, once and for all. Ross however thought we’d be enthralled by a story about a house extension, can’t wait for the sequel, the intrigue is killing me.
@Frank Cauldhame: yea, her “extension ” almost twice the price of an affordable 3 bedroom semi detached outside Dublin. Her and her husbands business but if you preach from the pulpit about transparency at some stage some one will ask you a question.
@Frank Cauldhame: cash in the attic.
@Mark Sheehan: where did the figure come from? How did Ross access the costs of their extension? Or, did he invent a figure and then ask them to defend it?
@Mick Wall: a deflection from the reality, property guide will give you the cost of purchase, then do a small bit of research. An industrial wage mehole .
@Mick Wall: public record
So when Varadkar threatened to sue village magazine and Robert Troy the same with multiple publications then that’s fine but if Sinn Fein do it there’s something wrong?
And given the fact that Sinn Fein have successfully sued multiple publications over the years, wouldn’t that indicate that the media is the problem and not Sinn Fein?
If SF had lost all of those legal battles then fair enough you could say SF were making empty threats and they’re the problem but that’s clearly not the case.
@Richie56: Hard to argue with that.
Unexplained house extensions..the FFG/media vendetta against Sinn Fein is really clutching at straws now.
@Toon Army: it’s Shane Ross who wrote the book. How is it a FFFG issue??? Nothing to do with them
@Patrick O Connell: Shane Ross is essentially FG. Formerly part of the party and served in government as a minister alongside them.
@Patrick O Connell:
Shane Ross was Fine Gale for 10 years through the 80’s & 90’s
He was also in government with fine Gale throughout the 10’s
He’s fine Gale through and through
@Rochelle: Shane Ross also wrote a book about being in government with the blueshirts so he isn’t too fond of them either.
@Rochelle: does that mean Mary Lou is essentially not SF? Kinda flawed logic there.
@Patrick O Connell: Course it is. They’re jumping on the bandwagon like there’s no tomorrow.
The latest FFG whinge is that individual Shinners look to defend their integrity through the courts. If the FFGers are convinced that they’re right in their comments about SF why should they worry about the courts?
Straight out of Donald Trump’s play book
@Tim: you must be ff/FG lad
@alan: You must be a Shinner…lad
@Justin Gillespie: that was the joke. lad
Go raibh maith agaibh. Thanks to those who agree with me. For the record, I am not a Shinner but I think this coalition of chancers are at the stage where they are clutching at straws.
She should have no problem clearing her name. She must have the paperwork for the mortgage from Bank of Ireland or Anglo Irish or National Irish or wherever, right?
@Liam Dunne: clear her name you say! What is it she is alleged to have done?
She’s 100% right. Everyone has that right. It doesn’t matter if you are a politician or any other person.
Do they sue to the same degree in Northern Ireland? If not why not?
Yep, everyone’s entitled to defend their good name – but only rich people can afford to do it
He should really have just let it go. How many people are going to read Shane Ross’s book about Mary Lou? By creating this news story about it through his lawsuit he’s drawing it to the attention of exponentially more people than would ever have read about it otherwise. Who knows what stories will emerge from this house refurbishment issue once the no smoke without fire armchair experts get involved. Another great example of the Streisand effect.
@Mick Hyland: correct. While I am not and never have been an SF voter or supporter I bought the book just to see what all the fuss is about.
@Kieran Murphy: And please Kieran fill us in….Any thing of interest or was it simply an attack on POOOOOR AULD MARY LOOOOOO
Very presumptive to assume that everyone has a good name to defend.
People especially children experiencing ongoing stress because of the ongoing National emergencies in housing and homelessness would much prefer that they are priority focus for the Government on their circumstances that need urgent and effective response rather than the irritating continuous focus on SF.
It’s not SF that will lose them votes at next General Election,it’s inadequate responses to serious issues such as the National emergencies in housing and homelessness, etc.
Surprised to see the comment’s open on a leangle case. I have seen many articles of court cases and like this one someone suing another. Everyone is suing someone everyday. I am sure a lot of the TD’s have sued, we are altogether on the swing don’t fall off, you might have to sue. They say bad publicity is good publicity, I can seen Mr Ross book selling well, we all have to have a nose to see what he said about Mary Lou. Mr McDonald has every right to sue if he see it needs to be. Best of luck Mr McDonald I hope you do well. It might slow down the glut of books hitting the market.
Mary Lou I don’t see the need for you to explain.
@Declan Carr: Sorry I should have said Mr Lanigan.
ALL CROOKS BROWN ENVELOPES
@Philip foster: proof please?
We’re waiting…..
@Philip foster: are all crooks brown envelopes or are all brown envelopes crooks? You need to clarify your shouty post that makes little sense.
Since when has been using the law and court system a ‘terrorist’ act??
In your haste to get your usual bike about SF out you forgot to engage what little sense that paranoia has left you with.
If there’s nothing to hide then there’s nothing to worry about.
“MARY LOU MCDONALD has said every citizen has a right to defend and vindicate their good name” She should say this to her colleague the despicable toe rag Matt Carthy who slandered a man using Dail Privilege on the basis of an unsubstantiated rumour. A cowardly disgrace to Dail Eireann..
Trump is another legal action aficionado.
Got to love the SF supporters,no its off topic but our government,they are open season but the minute something about SF,my god the up roar,you can’t do that,the typical government going after SF,it’s either right for everyone or wrong for everyone,you can’t have both ways.
Here we go again, storm in a teacup as SF are poised to rid the current band of corrupt shleeveens from the Dail
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