Main Points
- Catherine Connolly has confirmed that she used a taxpayer-funded allowance to fund a trip to Syria in 2018.
- Micheál Martin apologised to Fianna Fáil on Wednesday evening as he addressed his party on its disastrous presidential election following Jim Gavin’s decision to stop campaigning.
- Yesterday, Niall Donald, deputy editor of the Sunday World, the former tenant owed money by Mr Gavin, said he felt sorry for his ex-landlord. Mr Gavin’s solicitor said he had contacted Mr Donald about repaying the €3,300 “subject to clarifying two issues”.
- Catherine Connolly and Heather Humphreys are both on the campaign trail in Dublin today. And the first one-on-one debate between the pair is on RTÉ’s Drivetime this evening.
Key Reads
- ‘No personal benefit accrued’: Catherine Connolly defends spending public money on Syria trip
- Miriam Lord: From Belfast to Dublin via the Reichstag, Humphreys puts in the mileage for Áras bid
- Songs and jokes for Catherine Connolly at presidential fundraiser céilí
- Inside Politics newsletter: Martin finds himself in a familiar story with an uncertain ending
Labour leader hits back at Minister for Health’s comments
Labour leader Ivana Back has said she was deeply disappointed to see an “outrageous statement” issued from Jennifer Carroll MacNeiill, “a minister who should know better”.
“As a Fine Gael TD, Jennifer co-convened the all-party Oireachtas penal reform group with me. To see her being drawn into issuing this statement with its personalised and entirely spurious attack upon me and upon other party leaders shows that Fine Gael are now resorting to increasingly desperate smear tactics,” said Bacik.
“With two weeks still to go in this election, they need to reflect on the manner in which they are conducting their campaign.”
Earlier, MacNeill said a presidential candidate who employs a person convicted by the Special Criminal Court to work for them in the Oireachtas and to then consider hiring a convicted rapist for the Áras is “not fit to be our president”.
“How can Mary Lou McDonald, Ivana Bacik and Holly Cairns back a candidate who said she would need to reflect on whether she would hire a convicted rapist to work in Áras an Uachtaráin?,” the Fine Gael TD said in a statement.
The minister was responding to comments made by Independent candidate Catherine Connolly on Newstalk radio on Wednesday.
Connolly said that she “would have to think about” hiring a convicted rapist to work in the Áras when questioned by presenter Kieran Cuddihy.
Speaking on Thursday, Connolly said that she “absolutely would not” be employing somebody who was on a sex offender list”.
Catherine Connolly says she “absolutely would not” employ someone on sex offender list following radio comments
Independent presidential candidate Catherine Connolly has said she “absolutely would not” be employing somebody who was on a sex offender list.
“The words convicted rapist is somebody who is convicted in the court,” she said.
“I absolutely respect that and then they’re put on a sex offenders list, and it depends how many years they’ve spent in prison, and if they’ve spent more than two, they’re on that sex offenders list for life. Certainly, I wouldn’t be employing somebody like that.”
Connolly added that she has spent her “whole political life” and prior to it, “standing up for women and the absolutely appalling figures and the appalling violence against women”.
“People know me as that person, I’ve never changed,” she said.
Connolly was asked by reporters in Dublin this afternoon if she would consider hiring a convicted rapist. She told Newstalk radio on Wednesday she “would have to think about” hiring a convicted rapist to work in the Áras when questioned by presenter Kieran Cuddihy.
It followed questions to Connolly about the employment of a woman in 2019, who had been convicted of possessing a weapon and ammunition.
When asked about the possible scenario of hiring a convicted rapist to work in the Áras on Wednesday, the presidential candidate said she “would have to reflect on that”.
“I’d have to think on that,” she told Newstalk radio.
Connolly defends parliamentary allowance worth €3,700 used for Syria trip
Independent presidential candidate Catherine Connolly has said that a taxpayer-funded allowance of €3,691 to fund a trip to Syria in 2018 was “an allowance that’s given to every single independent TD”.
“There are a number of different categories, and I tend to use it under policy and research, and that’s exactly what I did,” she told reporters in Rathfarnam, Dublin, reports Katie Mellett.
Connolly submitted a claim under the Parliamentary Activities Allowance related to “Syria” in her statements to the Standards in Public Office (SIPO) Commission for 2018, as reported by The Irish Times on Thursday.
“The average viewer know me exactly as I am, standing here before you, answering questions, and I leave it up to the people to decide on that,” she said.
“This has always been a matter of public record, that allowance, Parliamentary Activities Allowance, that’s audited and returned to SIPO. That’s a public document accessed under Freedom of Information. That has always been on the record, and everything complied with, it’s audited by an independent auditor and it goes back to SIPO.”
Minister for Health says Connolly is “not fit to be our president”
Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill has said a presidential candidate who employs a person convicted by the Special Criminal Court to work for them in the Oireachtas and to then consider hiring a convicted rapist for the Áras is “not fit to be our president”.
“How can Mary Lou McDonald, Ivana Bacik and Holly Cairns back a candidate who said she would need to reflect on whether she would hire a convicted rapist to work in Áras an Uachtaráin?,” the Fine Gael TD said in a statement.
The minister was responding to comments made by Independent candidate Catherine Connolly on Newstalk radio on Wednesday.
Connolly said that she “would have to think about” hiring a convicted rapist to work in the Áras when questioned by presenter Kieran Cuddihy.
It followed questions to Connolly about the employment of a woman in 2019, who had been convicted of possessing a weapon and ammunition.
Connolly had previously said the woman had been “absolutely perfect” for the job.
When asked about the possible scenario of hiring a convicted rapist to work in the Áras, the presidential candidate said she “would have to reflect on that”.
“I’d have to think on that,” she said.
Fianna Fáil TD Pat ‘the Cope’ Gallagher has stopped short of expressing faith in the leadership of party leader and Taoiseach Micheál Martin.
The Donegal TD, who supported Billy Kelleher in the party’s presidential nomination process, said no-one had contacted him ahead of the vote.
Speaking on Highland radio, Gallagher said Jim Gavin was voted through on what he termed a “contrived majority”.
He said a group is to be established within the party to review all aspects of nomination, and it should report back shortly.
Gallagher said terms of reference for the report will come before the party next week.
“We can amend those terms of reference and I would be anxious that the people in that committee would be back benchers and after that I believe they should report within a matter of weeks and then we can take the next steps,” he said.
Labour has no comment on Connolly using taxpayer funds for Syria trip
The Labour Party has said it has no comment on Catherine Connolly using taxpayer funds to pay for her trip to Syria.
A spokeswoman for the party said on Thursday morning that “her statement explains the position”.
Connolly has confirmed she used a parliamentary allowance to fund a trip to Syria in 2018.
The Independent Galway West TD was asked about who funded the trip in July and said at the time: “I funded that trip.”
The Irish Times reported on Thursday that she had submitted a claim under the Parliamentary Activities Allowance for €3,691 related to “Syria” in her statements to the Standards in Public Office (Sipo) Commission for 2018.
Read the latest from Cormac McQuinn and Jack Horgan-Jones here.
Jim Gavin was not thrown under the bus and party has to move forward, says FF junior minister
Minister of State Jennifer Murnane O’Connor has said that she believes the decision to nominate Jim Gavin as Fianna Fáil’s candidate in the presidential election had been made in good faith.
At Wednesday night’s parliamentary party meeting the Taoiseach had acknowledged the challenges faced by the party in recent days, she told KCLR, Vivienne Clarke reports.
The party was now going to review the processes, and everybody who had attended the meeting had an opportunity to speak, the Carlow-Kilkenny TD said.
“When we had over five hours meeting, all of us had our speak. The Taoiseach listened, he said he apologised, he said, look at the time I did it in good faith, it was the candidate,” she said. “And we acknowledge that, I think it’s really important to acknowledge that we are thinking of Jim and his wife and his kids today.”
Murnane O’Connor said she did not believe that Jim Gavin had been “thrown under the bus” and the party had to “move forward”.
“We have made great strides, but we have learned from this,” she added. “And the one thing that happened last night was the learning curve that’s about presidential election campaigns, about the grassroots members, about our councillors, that they will have a say in how we give more information out to even ourselves as Ministers, TDs and Senators.
“I know there is challenges within our party, but I can assure you I have faith in Micheál Martin as Taoiseach. I believe he’s a very hard worker. I believe he has brought us to where we are today and look this has challenges there’s no question about it and we need to learn from this.
“What we need now is to learn from this and make sure that we are not ever in a position like this again.”
A Fine Gael Galway councillor who said he sought responses from Catherine Connolly about her role in home repossessions by financial institutions has called for clear answers from the presidential candidate.
Cllr Frank Fahy, a Galway city councillor since 2011, said he asked Connolly in 2014, who was also then a councillor, about representing the banks.
“Barristers work on all cases – that is their job," he said.
“But Deputy Connolly should at least admit what work she did openly without having it dragged from her.
“Is it because she agreed with Dáil calls for a moratorium on home repossessions previously? Or what else did she say on the matter?
“And I think it is very important that everyone here in Galway - where the deputy hails from - knows exactly how many home repossessions for financial institutions she was involved in and what were the outcomes of those cases were. This is very much in the public interest.
“We still don’t have clear answers on that.”
This week’s budget did not address issues and reform needed, says Fianna Fáil TD John McGuinness
Carlow-Kilkenny Fianna Fáil TD John McGuinness has described Wednesday night’s parliamentary party meeting as “very constructive”.
He said members had the opportunity to express themselves “without being spoken down to and demands were made of the leadership of the party to bring about a greater inclusion for backbenchers to be able to air their give their opinions on matters of the day and not be penalised for it”.
Vivienne Clarke reports that speaking on his local radio station KCLR, McGuinness added: “From that perspective it was a positive meeting but there is no doubt that the party has been damaged by the decisions made around the presidential election and that there is a considerable amount of work to do to regain public confidence.
“But that is a task that will have to be undertaken for the future and I think that the leadership have learned a lesson that they cannot just go about their business without consulting the members, the councillors and the TDs.”
When asked about Micheál Martin’s leadership of the party and if it was in question, McGuinness said that from Wednesday night’s meeting the issue was not under question.
“But what is under question is whether or not there is an appetite to reform the party and bring it back to a status within Irish society that makes it worthwhile as a political entity.
“Parties are always afraid of reforms, they’re always afraid of contrarian voices, different opinions, and if that doesn’t change in Fianna Fáil we will continue to be a party arguing with itself and not getting anywhere.
“My view is that we need to get back to the basics, we need get back to core values of the party and we need represent people. Yet the budget of this week did not do that. It did not address the issues in society, and I did not address the reform that is needed for the State.”
It is duty of barristers to accept instructions in any case in their area of practice - Council of the Bar of Ireland
The Council of the Bar of Ireland has said it is the duty of barristers to be “independent and free from any influence”, especially such as may arise from their personal interests or external pressure, in the discharge of their professional duties as barristers.
“Barristers cannot discriminate in favour of or against any person availing, or seeking to avail, of the services of the barrister on the grounds of race, colour, sex, sexual orientation, language, politics, religion, nationality, national or social origin, national minority, birth or other status,” it said in a statement on Thursday.
“It is also the duty of barristers to accept instructions in any case in their area of practice. As a result, barristers should not be identified with their clients or their clients’ causes or suffer adverse consequences as a result of being so identified.
“This fundamental principle arises from the code of conduct of the Bar of Ireland and is recognised in the United Nations Basic Principles on the Role of Lawyers and in the Council of Europe Convention for the Protection of the Profession of Lawyer.”
The statement added that it is the duty of barristers to accept instructions, sometimes referred to as the “cab-rank rule”, which ensures that everyone is entitled to access to justice and is central to trust in the Irish legal system and the rule of law.
The statement comes following questions put to Catherine Connolly yesterday about whether she represented banks during the financial crash and whether this included work on home repossessions.
Yesterday’s report from Jack Horgan-Jones can be read here.
Catherine Connolly confirms she spent public money to fund Syria trip
Catherine Connolly has confirmed that she used a taxpayer-funded allowance to fund a trip to Syria in 2018.
The development is likely to lead to questions for the Independent presidential candidate, who was asked about who funded the trip in July, write Jack-Horgan Jones and Cormac McQuinn.
At the time, she said: “I funded that trip.”
The Irish Times reported on Thursday morning that she had submitted a claim under the Parliamentary Activities Allowance for €3,691 related to “Syria” in her statements to the Standards in Public Office (Sipo) Commission for 2018.
‘We have been told what to do, what to think, and we haven’t been taken seriously’ - Seán Ó Feargháil
Former Ceann Comhairle Seán Ó Fearghaíl has said Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin connected effectively with members of the party and appeared to listen and take all the messages on board, Vivienne Clarke reports.
“The room, while being full of anger, was also full of goodwill, because there was unanimity that number one, Jim Gavin and his family needed to be supported now with the aftermath of the trauma that they’ve been through, but equally so, Fianna Fáil needs to get over what has been an utter and absolute debacle,” he told RTÉ radio’s Morning Ireland.
“This is about more than Micheál Martin. Was his apology enough? It may have been enough to resolve this particular situation.
Ó Fearghaíl added: “What has occurred around the presidential selection and the really appalling campaign is a symptom of how we’ve been doing our business as a political party for some time.”
During Wednesday night’s meeting Ó Fearghaíl told an apparent story about Charles Haughey at a restaurant where he made the selection for his guests. When asked about the vegetables, Ó Fearghaíl claimed that Haughey said ‘they’ll have the same as I’m having’.
“My point is that for a period of time, it would appear that the parliamentary party have been the vegetables. We have been told what to do, what to think, and we haven’t been taken seriously.”
Ó Fearghaíl said he did not have a “great degree of confidence” that the parliamentary party was going to change radically.
“I think there’ll be a reaction, a reaction to the current situation, and then things were likely to go back to the way that they were,” he said.
The situation would not have any impact on Martin’s leadership in the short term, he said.
“I think our focus, our entire focus, has got to be on leading the country through what remains of this year and implementing the provisions of the budget and preparing in this first half of next year for the EU presidency and then Ireland distinguishing itself.”
Some have pointed out that the ‘Haughey story’ Ó Fearghaíl referenced is actually a Spitting Image skit about Margaret Thatcher.
FF parliamentary party meeting was ‘game changer’ with ‘frank, open, honest, robust clearing of the air’, says Cork TD
Fianna Fáil TD for Cork South Central Seamus McGrath has said that he believes Wednesday night’s meeting of the parliamentary party to discuss Jim Gavin’s presidential campaign will be a “game changer” for how the party does business.
The lengthy meeting involved “frank, open, honest, robust, clearing of the air”, he told Newstalk Breakfast.
McGrath said he was satisfied that party leader and Taoiseach Micheál Martin had taken on board the depth of feeling among party members, Vivienne Clarke reports.
“It was a very helpful meeting, very civil, not personal,” he said.
“Going forward, we will be stronger after this. He [Mr Martin] did express regret and I think he made it clear that we are all devastated in terms of how this turned out and then look to the future in terms of how we ensure something like this doesn’t happen again.
“So I am satisfied and after listening to all the views the Taoiseach did a wrap up at the end and I think he genuinely took on board the depth of feeling among the members.”
McGrath said that the meeting had “never” been about Martin’s leadership.
“It was about how we do business and I believe that will change now. There’s no question of a leadership issue at the moment,” he added.
Parliamentary allowance worth €3,691 was used for for research purposes during visit to Syria, says Connolly campaign
In a statement this morning, the Connolly campaign has said that in 2018, while serving as a TD and in line with Oireachtas rules, she used a portion of her Parliamentary Activities Allowance under the “Research” heading to support a fact-finding visit to Syria.
The total declared amount was €3,691, as set out in her annual return to the Standards in Public Office Commission (SIPO).
“This expenditure was made for research purposes: to gather first-hand information relevant to Catherine’s parliamentary work on foreign policy, humanitarian issues, sanctions, Irish neutrality and Ireland’s role in international institutions,” it said.
“Costs covered standard travel and subsistence. No personal benefit accrued.
“The spending was fully declared and published in Catherine’s 2018 PAA/SIPO return, as required by law. Catherine has always complied with the rules governing the Parliamentary Activities Allowance and with SIPO reporting requirements.”
Engagement with people and organisations on the ground in conflict settings is part of responsible parliamentary research, it said.
“Such engagement does not imply endorsement of any government, faction or policy. Catherine’s record is consistent and clear: a commitment to human rights, active neutrality, humanitarian law and peace.
“Catherine welcomes scrutiny of public spending and will continue to act with transparency and accountability in all aspects of her work.”
The statement comes following this article from Cormac McQuinn this morning.
Miriam Lord was back on the campaign trail with Fine Gael’s Heather Humphreys on Wednesday.
Humphreys met members of Dublin Fire Brigade at the fire station on Townsend Street.
Lord describes seeing Humphreys seated in the passenger seat of a fire truck.
“Heather being hands-on. Sitting high up in the passenger seat beside a fireman as the siren went again,” she writes.
“We haven’t seen her look so happy since she climbed into the cab of a multidirectional forklift in Monaghan at the start of the 2020 general election campaign.”
Her full piece can be read here.
Elsewhere, presidential candidate Catherine Connolly used a taxpayer-funded allowance for €3,691 in spending described as related to “Syria” in her statement to the Standards in Public Office Commission (Sipo) for the year 2018.
The spending under the Parliamentary Activities Allowance (PAA) was declared for the same year as she travelled to the war-torn country with then-fellow TDs Clare Daly, Mick Wallace and Maureen O’Sullivan.
The full report from Cormac McQuinn can be read here.
RTÉ Radio 1’s Drivetime will host the first debate with the two presidential election candidates Catherine Connolly and Heather Humphreys today from 5pm.
It will be presented by Sarah McInerney and Cormac Ó hEadhra, and also broadcast RTÉ News channel.
Both candidates are also back on the campaign trail in Dublin.
Good morning. Micheál Martin has apologised and acknowledged the “hurt and shock” of Fianna Fáil members as he addressed his party on its disastrous presidential election campaign on Wednesday night.
The Taoiseach is understood to have told a packed meeting of his parliamentary party how he was sorry for how things had turned out and was “devastated” by the situation.
Martin spoke at length about the due diligence undertaken with the former candidate Jim Gavin and the probing questions that were asked.
The full report on that parliamentary party meeting can be read here.
