Society suspended after email probe

THE Sinn Féin society in Trinity College Dublin has been suspended by college authorities after its chairwoman urged members to send an insulting email to a website associated with former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.

The Ógra Shinn Féin chairwoman in TCD Grace Vaughey circulated an email asking members to send an email to the Thatcher website containing an insult to her late husband Dennis. It also contained the sentence, presumably referring to Ms Thatcher herself: “We’ll get the ****** yet.”

A spokesperson for TCD yesterday confirmed that the Sinn Féin society had forfeited it rights to rooms in the college until further notice, in the wake of an investigation into the emails.

In separate enquires conducted by the junior dean Emma Stokes and the Central Societies Committee, it was also decided the Sinn Féin society would receive no grants for travel until the end of the year. Its grant until Christmas has also been withdrawn.

In addition, Ms Stokes imposed a fine (of a nominal sum) on Ms Vaughey for circulating the offensive email to SF members.

Details of the email and of the action taken by the college authorities were revealed yesterday in the Trinity News.

The national spokesperson for Sinn Féin Dawn Doyle yesterday described the contents of the email as “appalling” and said the party would not share any of its sentiments.

Referring to Ms Vaughey, Ms Doyle said it was not an email that she wrote but one she received and forwarded on without reading properly.

“She has apologised to the party. It was poor judgement and the email should clearly have not been sent. It was in very poor taste,” said Ms Doyle.