An event featuring Independent presidential election candidate Catherine Connolly at the University of Galway on Thursday evening was delayed by some 20 minutes when a member of Enoch Burke’s family interrupted proceedings before being removed by gardaí and security.
Elijah Burke, who is a younger brother of Enoch, brought proceedings to a halt shortly after they began by interrupting speakers and refusing to take a seat.
Mr Burke, who was an unsuccessful candidate in last year’s students’ union elections at the university, made a number of attempts to question Ms Connolly, but was repeatedly shouted down by a large crowd of some 500 students.
“What do you have to say tonight about Enoch Burke, my brother, who was incarcerated for his views on transgenderism,” Mr Burke asked Ms Connolly. “Do you believe that religion and belief should be protected?”
RM Block
Two women , who were recording Mr Burke, were removed by gardaí after they also attempted to question Ms Connolly from the floor.
The event, which was organised by the university’s Literary and Debating society, had been billed as a presidential debate, and two empty chairs were left at the top table for Jim Gavin of Fianna Fáil and Heather Humphreys of Fine Gael who were unable to attend.
When proceedings restarted, Ms Connolly answered questions on a number of issues including Gaza, Ursula Ní Shionnain and Maria Steen.
Ms Connolly said she would have faced a real dilemma if she had been asked earlier to support the nomination of Maria Steen to run as president.
Ms Connolly, who supported Gemma Doherty’s bid to run for president in 2018, said the call to support Steen came too late to be considered.
“It is important to put me under pressure in relation to that [issue]. I was spared the pressure because I wasn’t asked until the day I was going down with my own nomination,” she said.
“Had I been asked in time, it would have been a dilemma. I nominated Gemma Doherty [in 2018], but I didn’t endorse her. She was an award-winning journalist.
“It is a serious question. I was so busy with my own campaign. I got a phone call on the Tuesday, when I was going down to the Customs House with my own nomination.”
Ms Connolly was also questioned about Ursula Ní Shionnain, who she attempted to hire as administrative support when she was on the Oireachtas committee for the Irish language in 2018.
Ms Ní Shionnain, a former member of Éirígí, was sentenced to six years in jail in 2014 after being found guilty by the Special Criminal Court of unlawful possession of firearms.
Ms Connolly defended the decision to offer her the job, saying that Ms Ní Shionnain was an example of a positive outcome from the prison system.
She also raised questions about how this incident was brought into the public domain as well as the presidential election.
“How this became a story in itself is a serious question. How this came out, a garda vetting to come out in this manner, questions need to be asked,” she said.
“I don’t know what kind of society we have when somebody’s name would be brought into the public domain like this.
“Someone who was found guilty, who served her sentence, learned and moved on to greater things. I wish her all the best.
“That is the purpose of a prison. Primarily to protect society, but also to reform the citizen. This is one wonderful example of someone who realised that they had done wrong.”
Speaking on Gaza and the detention of several Irish members of the Global Sumud Flotilla, she said the Government should have sent a naval ship to protect the Irish citizens.
She also called for the Government to “start inspecting the planes at Shannon Airport”, saying that Ireland “cannot take the word of our allies that arms are not going through that airport”.
