Revelations over Sinn Féin references deeply concerning, says Taoiseach

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

Harris said it was a child protection issue and added that he hoped Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald would answer “legitimate questions” about it.

Seán Mag Uidhir and Caolán McGinley resigned as Sinn Féin press officers on Saturday, days after it emerged they had given references to their former colleague, Michael McMonagle, for a job at an organization charity in 2022.

Last month McMonagle, 42, of Limewood Street, Co Derry, admitted a string of offenses including attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity.

Sinn Féin said the references were provided without the party’s authorization and described the press officers’ actions as “unacceptable and wrong”.

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

However, he accepted a position with the British Heart Foundation in September 2022. The charity said it had not been informed he was under investigation.

Senior Sinn Féin member Conor Murphy denied the party had any legal responsibility to inform the charity of the investigation, saying it could not interfere with a police investigation.

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

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

“We must all apply the same standards in our organization that we would demand in the Dáil and for them to be applied to others.

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

“The idea that anyone under investigation for sex crimes against children would find themselves working in another organization that comes into contact with children, without that organization being aware of it, is deeply concerning.

“On top of that, references from the previous person’s workplace, presumably positive references that no one has seen, and it would be helpful for us to see them.”

He added: “This is not an issue that people should get into shooting, it’s way too serious for that, it’s an issue about how we protect children from predators sexual.

“I am confident that Sinn Féin Leader (Mary Lou McDonald) will do the right thing on this by answering very legitimate, important and fundamental questions about protecting the most vulnerable people in society.”

McMonagle was first arrested in August 2021.

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

The offenses dated from May 2020 to August 2021.

He is due to be sentenced in November.

While working for the British Heart Foundation, McMonagle attended an event at Stormont in February 2023 which was also attended by Sinn Féin vice-president Michelle O’Neill.

The resignation of the two press officers came as Sinn Féin held its Ard Fheis in Athlone this weekend.

Neither Mr Mag Uidhir nor Mr McGinley made a comment.

Mr Mag Uidhir was a senior figure in the party organization in Northern Ireland and often appeared at media events in the company of senior leadership figures.