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.