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MARY LOU MCDONALD has told the Dáil that it is up to the Government if they want to schedule statements on child protection, but that they should also answer questions about their own practices.
As the heat turns up on the Sinn Féin leader over the McMonagle controversy, McDonald said she wants to know what sanctions Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael have adopted “in cases where very senior members of your parties have written character references for convicted rapists and child abusers.”
Ceann Comhairle Sean Ó Fearghaíl this afternoon accepted a request by Minister Hildegarde Naughten that the business committee look at whether the Dáil’s order of business could be amended to hear statements about child protection.
Calls have grown for McDonald to address the Dáil on controversy surrounding former party press officer Michael McMonagle.
McMonagle was arrested in August 2021 following an investigation into child sex offences.
Last month he admitted a series of offences, including attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity and will be sentenced in November.
This morning, the Labour Party backed calls from Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil for McDonald to come before the Dáil, as did People Before Profit.
It followed a letter being sent from Fine Gael TD Jennifer Carroll MacNeill and Fianna Fáil TD Anne Rabbitte calling for the Ceann Comhairle to make time available for McDonald to address the Dáil on the matter.
The letter called for the Dáil to be adjourned similar to the Stormont Assembly, where Sinn Féin vice president and Northern Ireland First Minister Michelle O’Neill was questioned on the controversy yesterday.
Speaking in the Dáil this afternoon, McDonald defended her party’s handling of the situation, stating that the references were “unauthorised”, “unacceptable” and “reprehensible”.
She said it is in the government’s “gift” if it wants to schedule statements on “the important issue of child protection and safeguarding”.
“Action has been taken. The two individuals concerned have lost their jobs. They are now no longer members of Sinn Féin, and that’s as it should be. We take these matters very, very seriously indeed, and I have taken swift action by way of response,” McDonald said.
“Let me make this point Ceann Comhairle, in the course of our statements, the Taoiseach, the Tánaiste, the parties of government will have to also make clear what sanctions they have adopted in cases where very senior members of your parties have written character references for convicted rapists and child abusers.
“I will be interested to hear what action you took and I’m sure that you will avail of that opportunity.
“Transparency goes both ways ladies and gentlemen,” McDonald added.
O’Neill yesterday apologised at the Northern Ireland Assembly, saying she was “absolutely appalled and horrified” by what had happened.
“On behalf of Sinn Féin, I apologise for the hurt and distressed caused by [the] actions [of the two party press officers]” she said.
Letter from myself & @AnneRabbitte to the Ceann Comhairle for statements to be held on the important matter of child protection, enabling the President and leader of SF, Deputy McDonald to update the Dáil. We hope this will receive support from everyone in the Dáil. pic.twitter.com/NM5gZuPpVP
— Jennifer Carroll MacNeill TD (@CarrollJennifer) October 7, 2024
In a statement yesterday evening, McDonald apologised “for the distress” caused by the party’s handling of the matter and that she was “disgusted” by McMonagle’s actions.
“I am shocked that anyone would have given him a reference, given the serious allegations and subsequent charges that he faced,” said McDonald.
“This is unforgivable and absolutely unacceptable to me. This was done without consultation with the party.
“Those who gave references in this case were guilty of gross misconduct, they no longer work for the party and are no longer members of the party.”
McDonald said she has asked the incoming general secretary to “immediately initiate a complete overhaul of governance procedures” within the party, adding that it will do “everything necessary to ensure that an incident like this never arises again”.
Speaking today on Newstalk today, McDonald said McMonagle’s suspension was done “by the book” when the party heard of his arrest.
“For the life of me, I cannot explain or account how anybody, any rational, sane, decent person, could have considered giving him any form of reference for anything.
“These two individuals acted without any authority, irresponsibly, and despicably, in my view,” she said.
McDonald said she became aware of the references on 25 September and the two people who issued the references resigned before they could be dismissed.
She added that there was a “communications drop” regarding the party’s then-HR manager who was informed of the references last year.
It also emerged last week that Sinn Féin failed to return the Stormont security pass of McMonagle and did not alert the Stormont Assembly authorities to the allegations.
The Assembly Commission, the body that oversees the running of Stormont’s Parliament Buildings, confirmed it only cancelled McMonagle’s pass last week – more than three years after his initial arrest.
In response, Sinn Féin said the pass should have been revoked when the party suspended press officer McMonagle after learning of the police investigation.
McDonald said there will now be “perfect clarity” moving forward on what happens when someone ceases to be employed or is suspended from party, including what happens to passes.
This morning, Labour Party TD Ged Nash confirmed that his party is calling for statements to be made in the Dáil on Sinn Féin’s handling of the situation and the approach taken by senior party officials.
“For too long, Mary Lou MacDonald has gone missing on this question and has left it up to Michelle O’Neill to handle this matter,” Nash told reporters outside Leinster House.
“Sinn Féin tells us all of the time that they are an all Ireland party, and Mary Lou McDonald must take responsibility for the abject failings of her own party. And the question should be asked, why is this always Sinn Féin? There’s a pattern of behavior here and an extremely worrying culture within that party.”
Meanwhile, Tánaiste Micheál Martin said Sinn Féin has “real issues” in managing issues around sex crimes.
“One only has to refer back to how Máiría Cahill was treated by Mary Lou McDonald and by Sinn Féin at the time. It was shocking, as I recall it,” added Martin.
“I was attacked myself by Pearse Doherty and Mary Lou for raising the Máiría Cahill case and they said some very uncharitable things about me.”
Máiría Cahill, who has alleged she was sexually abused by an IRA man at the age of 16, received an apology from Sinn Féin after McDonald expressed regret for how it handled her allegation of rape.
She previously alleged that Sinn Féin and the IRA tried to cover up the offence.
Last month, McMonagle, 42, from Limewood Street, Derry, admitted a series of offences, including attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity.
He will be sentenced in November.
McMonagle was working as a press officer for Sinn Féin at the time of his arrest and Sinn Féin said it suspended him as soon as it became aware of the police investigation.
His employment formally ended in June of 2022.
McMonagle later found employment in the communications department of the British Heart Foundation and was suspended from the charity in July of 2023.
Two of his former colleagues in the Sinn Féin press office, Séan Mag Uidhir and Caoloán McGinley, provided employee references for McMonagle during the recruitment process at BHF.
Mag Uidhir and McGinley resigned late last month, days after it emerged they had given references for McMonagle.
With reporting from Jane Matthews
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