Sinn Féin says records show person at the center of Ó Donnghaile controversy was 17 when he received messages – The Irish Times

Sinn Féin has insisted that records show the young man at the center of the Niall Ó Donnghaile controversy was 17 when he received inappropriate messages from the former senator.

Fine Gael TD Ciarán Cannon and former Labor senator Maíríá Cahill have said publicly, including on the floor of the Dáil, that the person was in fact 16 at the time. This would contradict what Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald told the House during statements on child protection on Tuesday, in which she also confirmed that Mr Ó Donnghaile had resigned after sending the messages.

She said the case “relates to an incident where a Sinn Féin representative sent inappropriate text messages to a 17-year-old”.

Asked to confirm the person was 17 at the time the communication was sent, a Sinn Féin spokesperson said: “Our party records confirm he was 17 years old at the time of the incident. Because he was a minor we referred the matter to the PSNI and social services.”

Sinn Féin was asked if he was happy that his details were correct, and whether he would make any effort to verify the accuracy of his details. A Sinn Féin spokesperson said: “We stand behind our data, the individual concerned has submitted this data,” adding that the individual had requested that their privacy be respected and that no action had been taken affecting the individual’s identity would reveal.

The PSNI has said safety assessments and liaison with other statutory bodies have been carried out and no formal complaint has been received.

Ms McDonald told the Dáil there was no illegality and no criminal charges were brought, but Mr Ó Donnghaile’s actions were not acceptable to Sinn Féin. This was told to him at a meeting on October 5 last year, and he said he would resign from both the Seanad and the party.

Elsewhere, the party confirmed that the teenager had discussed the issue with the party’s youth wing before last September.

Mr Ó Donnghaile was suspended from the party last September over the issue but only resigned from the Seanad at the end of December, after which leader Ms McDonald praised his work but did not reveal what had happened.

This week, Ms McDonald said in the Dáil that a “party councillor” received a complaint last September that an inappropriate message had been sent by Mr Ó Donnghaile to a 17-year-old male party member.

Sources have told The Irish Times that the youngster had revealed the existence of the texts in the months before.

A Sinn Féin spokesperson said that “the young person has discussed this matter with some of his colleagues in Ógra” and did so “in the weeks leading up to September 11 when he contacted the party and the matter was referred to the PSNI” .

“When the young person contacted Sinn Féin he was advised to keep all messages on his phone as required by the PSNI. We then referred the matter to the PSNI and social services. The family confirmed to the party that the messages had been shown to the PSNI as part of their investigation.”

Questions have also been raised as to why Sinn Féin did not refer the matter to the Garda given Mr Ó Donnghaile spent three days a week in the Seanad. “The messages were sent to a young person in the North so it had to be reported to the PSNI and Social Services who jointly investigated the matter.”

In addition, Social Democrats leader Holly Cairns has said McDonald should retract a statement she made about Mr Ó Donnghaile, praising his work when he resigned in December last year.