Cougar-gate adds touch of roar to Dáil zoo

“WHO’S the cougar?” The slang word, commonly used as a reference to a woman of a certain age who is attractive to younger men, would have been unusual parliamentary language at the best of times – but as a TD shouted it while the Dáil chamber was convulsed by a row over sexism, it was especially surprising.

The outburst from Fine Gael TD Noel Coonan came shortly after Judy Spence, leader of the Queensland state assembly, had been welcomed to the Dáil by Ceann Comhairle Seamus Kirk as she sat in the visitors’ gallery beside FF TD Noel O’Flynn.

The chamber was in uproar for most of the session after Labour’s Joan Burton had slapped down the Ceann Comhairle for “sexism” towards her because she claimed he had not given her the same speaking rights as Enda Kenny.

Then the male-dominated Fianna Fáil benches barracked SF’s Caoimhghín O Caoláin with taunts of “Sexist!” after he remarked that Tánaiste Mary Coughlan was wearing a “Tory blue” outfit, before she corrected him that it was in fact petrol blue.

The word “Sexist!” was by now popping up unexpectedly from all sides of the House like a confused Mexican wave.

However, Ms Burton’s attempts to get a bit of sisterhood going by urging the two women Fianna Fáil TDs present to join-in with her bid to steam-roller the Ceann Comhairle fell on deaf ears – but then as she was imploring them with the phrase: “C’mon lads! C’mon lads!” maybe they were just bemused.

And so Order of Business, or to give it its more appropriate name – the Thursday Morning Zoo – climaxed in a suspension of the sitting.

But to be fair to the Ceann Comhairle, he is not particularly sexist, he is just not particularly good.

But back to Cougar-gate, despite it becoming an international buzz word popularised by the TV show Cougar Town, Deputy Coonan insists he meant nothing “sinister” when he shouted it out in the melee.

“We were just having a bit of fun, me and the fellas beside me, being a bit lighthearted at that stage.

“Cougar came into my mind. I thought it was an exotic animal, like a tiger, I didn’t know it had a more sinister meaning.

“Maybe I should have shouted “who’s the tiger?” because Noel O’Flynn was sitting there. The Tánaiste said she was wearing petrol blue so Esso came into my mind – tiger – cougar...” he explained.

Ms Spence, who is on a fact-finding mission looking at the parliamentary committee system, was unruffled by the incident, telling the Irish Examiner: “I didn’t hear it,” before adding diplomatically: “I find it difficult to understand everything I hear in Ireland.”