Revelations over McMonagle references are deeply concerning – Harris

Revelations that two Sinn Fein press officers provided a reference for a former colleague who later admitted sex offences are “deeply disturbing”, Taoiseach Simon Harris has said.

The Irish premier said it was an issue of child protection and added that he hoped Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald would answer “legitimate questions” on the matter.

Sean Mag Uidhir and Caolan McGinley resigned as Sinn Fein press officers on Saturday, days after it emerged that they had given references for former colleague, Michael McMonagle, for a job at a charity in 2022.

Last month, McMonagle, 42, from Limewood Street, Londonderry, admitted a series of offences, including attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity.

Sinn Fein has said the references were provided without clearance from the party and described the press officers’ actions as “unacceptable and wrong”.

McMonagle was first arrested in August 2021. Sinn Fein has said it suspended him as soon as he became aware of the police investigation.

However, he took up a position with the British Heart Foundation in September 2022. The charity has said it was not made aware that he was facing investigation.

Senior Sinn Fein member Conor Murphy has denied the party had any legal responsibility to make the charity aware of the investigation, stating that it could not interfere with a police probe.

Speaking in Dublin, Mr Harris said he did not want to play politics with the issue.

But he added: “There is nothing more important than the safety of our children.

“All of us have to apply the same standards in our organisation that we would demand on the floor of the Dail be applied of others.

“What we are reading and learning in real time is deeply disturbing, deeply disturbing.

“The idea that any individual under investigation for sexual crimes against children would find themselves working in another organisation that has contact with children, without that organisation being aware, is deeply concerning.

“In addition to that, references being provided from a place of employment of the previous person, presumably references of positivity which no-one has seen, and it would be helpful if we did see.”

He added: “This is not an issue in which people should get into pot-shots, it is far too serious for that, it is an issue in relation to how we protect children from sexual predators.

“I am sure that the leader of Sinn Fein (Mary Lou McDonald) will do the right thing on this in terms of answering very legitimate, important, fundamental questions about the protection of the most vulnerable people in society.”

In the Dail on Wednesday, Fine Gael TDs Ciaran Cannon and Colm Brophy called for Ms McDonald to make a statement in the House.

Mr Cannon said: “I am asking for time to be urgently set aside for Deputy McDonald to make a statement on the issue of child abuse committed by a member of Sinn Fein, and the furnishing of character references for that person by members of Deputy McDonald’s team.

“It’s crucial that these questions are answered in a timely fashion.”

Mr Brophy said the matter is “time sensitive and important, and should be addressed this week”.

During Leaders’ questions in the Dail, Ms McDonald raised the issue of children with scoliosis requiring surgery, and criticised delays in procedures.

Mr Harris told her: “I am finding it hard to take a moralistic lecture on child protection from the leader of the opposition today of all days.

“You might come back to us on that. I can’t ask you a question in this House but there is a function available to you in this House and you should use it because you should apply the same standards yourself as you apply to everybody else.”

McMonagle was first arrested in August 2021.

He pleaded guilty to 14 offences of attempted sexual communication with a child and attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity at Londonderry Crown Court last month.

The offences dated between May 2020 and August 2021.

He is due to be sentenced in November.

While he was working for the British Heart Foundation McMonagle attended an event at Stormont in Febuary 2023 which was also attended by Sinn Fein’s vice president Michelle O’Neill.

The resignation of the two press officers emerged as Sinn Fein was holding its Ard Fheis in Athlone at the weekend.

Neither Mr Mag Uidhir nor Mr McGinley have made any comment.

Mr Mag Uidhir was a senior figure in the party’s organisation in Northern Ireland and often appeared at media events with senior figures in the leadership.