O’Dea urged to clarify ‘mistake’ to the Dáil

DEFENCE Minister Willie O’Dea has been called upon to explain to the Dáil how he swore an inaccurate affidavit concerning defamatory remarks he made about a Sinn Féin councillor.

In the affidavit, Mr O’Dea denied making the remarks linking Sinn Féin’s Maurice Quinlivan to a brothel in Limerick, only to later apologise and pay damages to the councillor.

Fine Gael has been pushing the issue in recent weeks, demanding an explanation from Mr O’Dea as to why he originally denied making the comments in the affidavit.