Pearse Doherty defends McDonald over statement praising Niall Ó Donnghaile on his resignation

SINN FÉIN’S PEARSE Doherty has defended party leader Mary Lou McDonald over her statement on the resignation of former Senator Niall Ó Donnghaile in which she praised his “diligent” work and “valuable contribution”.

Yesterday, Ó Donnghaile revealed that he was the party member who had resigned from the party after allegedly sending inappropriate text messages to a 17-year-old.

Ó Donnghaile resigned from the Seanad citing “health reasons” in December 2023. McDonald told the Dáil yesterday that Ó Donnghaile was suspended on 13 September 2023 following a complaint received two days earlier by a party councillor about the text to a 17-year-old male party member.

McDonald told the Dáil that Ó Donnghaile was suspsended from the party and the matter was “immediately” referred to the PSNI and social services in the North for investigation. No criminal proceedings arose.

Questions are now being raised over the public statement McDonald issued when Ó Donnghaile resigned in December 2023, with Social Democrats leader Holly Cairns this morning characterising this statement as a “glowing reference”.

In December, McDonald wished Ó Donnghaile the “very best for the future”.

“Niall has served in the Seanad for almost eight years giving voice to northern nationalists in the Oireachtas,” she said.

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“Niall served diligently during that period, and indeed prior during his time as a member of Belfast City Council and as Ardmhéara Beál Feirste.

“In particular, Niall made a valuable contribution to the Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement.

“I hope that Niall can overcome the health challenges that he has had to deal with over the past number of months, and I wish him and his family the very best for the future.”

This morning, Pearse Doherty rejected the “glowing reference” description, saying it was “a stretch”. 

He also rejected any comparison between McDonald’s December 2023 statement on Ó Donnghaile and the references given by two Sinn Féin press officers to former colleague Michael McMonagle, who was being investigated at the time for child sex offences. He has since admitted to the charges. 

In the Dáil yesterday, party leader Mary Lou McDonald described the crimes of McMonagle as “vile and egregious” and said that it was “reprehensible and, quite frankly, unforgivable” that two party colleagues provided him with an employment reference.  

Tánaiste Micheál Martin said yesterday that Sinn Féin had “misled” the Oireachtas on the full reasons for Ó Donnghaile’s Seanad resignation – claiming it was an attempt at a “very elaborate cover up”.

Speaking on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland today, Doherty rejected any comparison between the two cases, describing the suggestion as “utterly disgraceful” and “outrageous”.

Doherty and McDonald have said that the details relating to Ó Donnghaile’s texting a minor were withheld over concerns for his mental health as well as “concern for the young person at the centre of this incident”. 

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“I accept that the full information was not provided, but I also accept that people now know why that full information was not provided,” Doherty said. 

“It is important to state that Niall had faced all of the rigours of the party in relation to he lost his job, he lost his position within the party, and he was referred for a criminal investigation to the PSNI and social services.”

He said Sinn Féin had carried out its process “in terms of child protection, to the letter”. 

“And indeed, we were commended by the PSNI in relation to the fact that the victim stated that they were content with how Sinn Féin handled this issue.” 

Doherty also said that while no criminal proceedings came of the referral of Ó Donnghaile’s actions to the PSNI, he was still dismissed from the party because his actions were “unacceptable”.

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