Sinn Féin councillor expelled amid row over bullying claims

A Sinn Féin councillor has been expelled from the party and another suspended for a year amid a wider internal row involving claims of bullying against a sitting TD and a loan from the organisation’s funds.

Cork county councillors Kieran McCarthy and Melissa Mullane, alongside a number of rank-and-file members in the Cork East constituency, were disciplined after behind closed doors hearings yesterday.

However, in a rare public outburst for the normally regimented party, one of the ousted officials accused the organisation of using false information to “eliminate competition” against the TD in the constituency, insisting he and others have done nothing wrong.

While SF refused to give details, it is understood hearings focused on months of fractious relations between Sinn Féin members and sitting TD Sandra McLellan. The TD’s cumann called for bullying policy changes at the party’s ard fheis.

After concerns emerged late last year, senior party officials disbanded all cumanns in the area and began a review focused on claims Ms McLellan was being bullied by local party members about her TD performance.

The alleged bullying includes a since removed online blog under the pseudonym ‘An Rebel Og’.

A separate allegation about a loan from the organisation’s funds also formed part of the review.

This second issue relates to an incident at the start of the year, which saw money loaned to an individual facing “personal problems”.

Mr McCarthy said he was aware of the issue but declined to say who was involved. He said the money was repaid before an initial review and was “bad book-keeping”.

He said an initial internal review concluded there was nothing wrong, before it was added into the wider review.

Ms McLellan did not respond to requests for comment, while the party declined to provide details.

The party did not say why Cobh-based Mr McCarthy was expelled and Mallow-Kanturk based Ms Mullane suspended, but said they were both told why.

Cork North Central TD Jonathan O’Brien, who chaired the review, said what happened is an “internal party matter”.

Mr McCarthy accused the party of “anti-democratic” actions by failing to say why he was removed and that they “stabbed me in the back” after three decades of service. He said he and Ms Mullane were removed to “eliminate competition” to Ms McLellan, as both cannot now seek the Sinn Féin general election nomination.

He said the bullying and blog claims “haven’t been put to me” and he had no involvement in them. Ms Mullane said she was “shocked” about her suspension and knows “nothing about bullying or loans”.