Mary Lou McDonald has said she will correct the record of the Dáil after she incorrectly stated that a teenager sent inappropriate texts by a former party senator was 17 years old, when in fact he was 16.
It comes as the Sinn Féin president is facing further pressure to issue an apology to the teenager who was sent the texts by former senator Niall Ó Donnghaile.
The teenager at the centre of the controversy has 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.
Ms McDonald said: “It is very important that the record of the Dáil is accurate, so of course it will be corrected.”
She told RTÉ: “The party records did indicate that he was 17. It was on his application form for membership. But that doesn’t matter now. What matters is that we respond fully to the young person in question, and what matters is that the Dáil record is accurate, and I will attend to both of those matters tomorrow.
“As for an apology for the young person, he will be given a full, unequivocal apology from me. He’s a young person who deserves to be fully comfortable. What happened to him was wrong. Niall’s (Ó Donnghaile’s) behaviour was unacceptable and utterly inappropriate, and no young person should have experienced that.”
Earlier, Taoiseach Simon Harris accused the Sinn Féin leader of being “silent” on the calls from the teenager at the centre of the matter to apologise over the handling of the incident.
Mr Ó Donnghaile has acknowledged that he quit Sinn Féin last year after the party received complaints that he had sent inappropriate texts to a teenage party member.
Ms McDonald has been widely criticised for her praise of Mr Ó Donnghaile in a statement she released following his resignation from the Seanad last December.
A Sinn Féin spokesperson this afternoon said Ms McDonald is “happy“ to correct the Dáil record on the age of the young person who received inappropriate text messages from the Sinn Féin senator.
First Minister Michelle O’Neill
Speaking in the Stormont Assembly today, Sinn Féin vice-president and First Minister Michelle O’Neill insisted party records said the teenager was 17.
She told MLAs: “All child protection protocols were followed with an immediate referral to the PSNI and also to social services. The protection of the young person was absolutely our primary concern.
“Niall Ó Donnghaile was held accountable and faced serious consequences for his totally unacceptable and totally inappropriate behaviour, and I’m deeply sorry and angry that this young person has had to endure any of this inappropriateness or this unacceptable behaviour.
“Also, I can confirm that according to our records the young person was, in fact, 17. That’s the records which we have in our files in terms of membership.”
Speaking at the launch of the Dublin City Taskforce report today, Mr Harris said he wants to know what the Sinn Féin leader will do following the teenager’s statement to the Sunday Independent.
“We have a situation where, in the last 24 hours, not Fine Gael, not Fianna Fáil, not the Green Party, not any politician in Dáil Éireann, a victim, a teenage boy, has described in a national newspaper how he was mentally stabbed, not by anybody other than the leader of Sinn Féin, by her actions,” Mr Harris said.
Patrick Kielty hosts ‘The Late Late Show’. Photo: PA
“He has called, not by only political opponent, he, the victim, a teenage boy, has called for the leader of the opposition to directly and sincerely – his words – apologise to him.”
The Fine Gael leader also accused Ms McDonald of spending the last few days demanding an apology for the opening monologue on Friday’s Late Late Show.
Comedian and TV host Patrick Kielty linked the republican party to the hit show The Traitors in the opening minutes of the show last Friday.
Sinn Féin TDs have been calling for an apology from RTÉ.
Taoiseach Simon Harris speaking to the media at the General Post Office, Dublin Photo: PA
“Does the leader of Sinn Féin, who spent the entire weekend engaging in a pile on (on the) media, in relation to an apology that she wanted for some satire that may or may not have been funny or not – I didn’t see it – in relation to the Late Late Show,” Mr Harris said.
“They were out in force demanding an apology over satire. Silent in relation to an apology that a victim who received inappropriate texts from an adult elected representative of the Oireachtas had sought.
“So that’s for Sinn Féin to reflect on. I’d like to know today, does the leader of Sinn Féin intend to do as that victim asked? Because I thought, from listening to her in the past, from listening to all of us in the past, I thought we now adopt a victim-centred approach to these issues.”
I still feel her judgment was flawed in terms of the level of praise she heaped upon him in light of the reason that he was leaving
Green Party leader Roderic O’Gorman described Ms McDonald’s judgment around the time of Mr Ó Donnghaile’s resignation as “flawed”.
“I still feel her judgment was flawed in terms of the level of praise she heaped upon him in light of the reason that he was leaving, leaving Sinn Féin,” Mr O’Gorman said.
“And I think the opportunity to clarify the point, particularly on the age of the victim, when these texts were sent, I think there may be an opportunity for Deputy McDonald to clarify the record of the House.”
In relation to the new chair of the Public Accounts Committee (Pac) following the separate departure of Sinn Féin TD Brian Stanley, Mr Harris said he was not “overly concerned about Oireachtas committee chairs when the lifetime of this Dáil is very limited”.
But he said Sinn Féin’s nominated replacement, Mairéad Farrell of Galway West, “is a very competent individual in her own right”.
The committee “is always chaired by the opposition”, Mr Harris noted.
“It’s certainly not the most pressing issue on my agenda.”
News Catch Up: Monday 21st October