Accusations have been levelled against Sinn Féin, suggesting that when stating Senator Niall Ó Donnghaile’s reason for stepping down, the party may have presented a dishonest account to the Oireachtas. The leader of the party, Mary Lou McDonald, revealed in a Dáil discussion that Mr Ó Donnghaile had resigned after sending unsuitable messages to two persons, one of whom was a minor and a member of the party.
Following Mr Ó Donnghaile’s decision to step down, important party members including the chair, chief whip, and Belfast chair informed him that his behaviour was unacceptable. While the first recipient of the questionable texts brought it to the party’s attention, triggering a formal procedure, the second recipient did not lodge a complaint.
Mrs McDonald has been accused of deceiving the Oireachtas concerning the real reasons behind Mr Ó Donnghaile’s departure. There was a shift in political attention when last December, Mrs McDonald issued a commendation of Mr Ó Donnghaile’s contributions to politics and expressed her desire that he would overcome the health challenges he had been experiencing.
Tánaiste Micheál Martin voiced his suspicion that the Oireachtas may have been provided with misleadinginformation about the full circumstances surrounding Mr Ó Donnghaile’s resignation. McDonald maintained that the party had been coached legally not to mention Mr Ó Donnghaile’s name, as no legal proceedings had been instigated against him after the incident was handed over to the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI). She disclosed that the details about the circumstances of his resignation weren’t revealed to the Oireachtas due to his ongoing struggle with a mental health predicament following the complaint. Mrs McDonald explained that the fear of jeopardising his health was the reason behind their decision not to publicise his name, adding that this does not excuse his actions.
In a statement, Ivana Bacik, the leader of the Labour party, raised concerns that Niall Ó Donnghaile continued in office between September and December 2023, despite being under suspension. She questioned the ambiguous nature of Mr Ó Donnghaile’s departure following a glowing tribute by Sinn Féin leader, Ms McDonald. Bacik speculated whether there was a “hidden suspension” given that Sinn Féin had withheld relevant information. Sinn Féin’s failure to reveal the specifics of Ó Donnghaile’s departure was also criticised by Holly Cairns, leader of the Social Democrats, who accused them of downplaying the facts surrounding his resignation.
Despite public silence over the accusations due to mindful concerns about Mr Ó Donnghaile’s health, Cairns perceived the truth was that he was “stepping down in shame”. Despite this, Cairns noted a supportive tweet from McDonald to Ó Donnghaile in June.
The party also received backlash following the departure of former Public Accounts Committee chair, Brian Stanley. McDonald acknowledged a complaint against Stanley concerning his personal behaviour, causing the complainant to be “distraught”. Stanley later lodged a counter-complaint.
The episode has provoked further questioning from other members of the government. Fine Gael TD Ciarán Cannon proposed that the Oireachtas Commission, responsible for the Oireachtas’ operation, might need to step in as confusion around Mr Ó Donnghaile’s departure was ongoing. His party colleague, Colm Brophy, demanded more clarity from Sinn Féin’s leadership regarding why the Oireachtas wasn’t informed about the circumstances of Ó Donnghaile’s resignation. Brophy also questioned whether Sinn Féin had misled the Oireachtas.