Former Sinn Fein senator Niall Ó Donnghaile has identified himself as the party member who resigned after being suspended over inappropriate text messages to a teenager.
Mr Ó Donnghaile, who previously served as Belfast Lord Mayor, stood down from the Seanad last December for health reasons.
The Belfast man was a member of the Republic of Ireland’s upper chamber since 2016.
Before entering politics south of the border he was a Belfast councillor and in 2011, aged 25, became the city’s youngest Lord Mayor.
At the weekend it emerged that a Sinn Fein member had resigned from the party for allegedly sending inappropriate messages to a Northern Ireland teenager, aged 17.
In a statement to the Irish News, Mr Ó Donnghaile said that, in consultation with Sinn Féin, he accepted that his behaviour necessitated stepping down from his Seanad role and as a party member:
“This would also give me the space to focus on improving my health and wellbeing, issues that I have been dealing with my doctor on since mid-2021,” he said.
The former senator said he deeply regrets any upset caused to the recipient of the messages and offered an apology.
“I also accept that I have caused great embarrassment to myself, my family, friends and former colleagues – this was never my intention,” he said.
“Since resigning from political and public life almost a year ago and now as a private citizen, my main focus has been on improving my mental health and also supporting a relative through a challenging period of ill-health – this remains my priority and I ask that I and all those concerned are allowed to move on, with our privacy respected.”
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Mr Ó Donnghaile was previously the leader of Sinn Fein’s Seanad group and was a member of the Joint Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement.
It is understood that the text messages involved were not sexually explicit, but personal and physical in nature.
The teenager was a member of Sinn Fein’s youth wing, Ógra Shinn Féin, but has since left the party over the situation.
Sinn Fein previously said: “We received a complaint on the 11th of September 2023 that an inappropriate message was sent by a party member to a 17-year-old party member.
“On the 12th of September, in line with child protection guidelines, the person was suspended and the matter was immediately referred to the PSNI and social services to investigate.
“On the 27th of September, the PSNI informed the party that they were not carrying out any formal investigation into the matter.
“They also indicated support for the actions the party had taken, both from their perspective and that of the (teenager’s) family.
“The individual subsequently resigned from the party.”
It is the latest controversy to engulf Sinn Fein in recent weeks, following the resignation of two party press officers over job references they provided to their former colleague Michael McMonagle, who is awaiting sentencing after admitting a string of child sex offences.
Also at the weekend, long-serving Sinn Fein TD Brian Stanley resigned from the party amid complaints against him following an internal inquiry.
Mr Stanley slammed the inquiry as a “type of kangaroo court” and accused members of Sinn Fein of “character assassination” against him.
Sinn Fein said a complaint against Mr Stanley and a “serious” counter-allegation were referred to Gardai.
News Catch Up – Tuesday 15 October