Fianna Fáil TD slams sick taunts aimed at party leader

A senior Fianna Fáil TD has slammed sick taunts aimed at party leader Micheál Martin, which said two of his children who died tragically would want him to vote no in today’s marriage referendum.

Mr Martin, who is spearheading the Fianna Fáil yes campaign, said he is making no comment.

One of several vile comments sent from a Twitter account, registered to a volunteer worker at Limerick City Community Radio (LCCR), stated: “#liveline Fianna Fáil Leader’s Dead Children Want Him To Vote No.”

Mr Martin and his wife Mary lost their five-week-old son Ruairí in a cot death in 1999. Their daughter Léana, 7, who suffered from a heart condition, passed away in 2010 at Great Ormond Street Hospital, London.

Fianna Fáil spokesperson on justice, Niall Collins, blasted the hateful tweet: “It’s beneath anybody to say that about Micheál Martin and his family circumstances, and to bring it into a political debate. I was disgusted to read it.”

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He confirmed Mr Martin has seen the sick tweet.

“He’s a lovely man, he’s actually a very humble, down-to-earth kind of a fella — a humble family man,” Mr Collins said.

Fianna Fáil said Mr Martin would not be responding to the remarks.

The tweet was later removed after an apparent intervention by Limerick City Community Radio, where the Twitter user works as a volunteer.

Chairman of LCCR, Richard Smith, said on their Facebook page: “We at Limerick City Community Radio do not associate ourselves with any of our volunteers’ private views.”

“We would not tolerate any form of hatred to go out on the air, but when it comes to volunteers’ social media accounts, our abilities to moderate are nil.

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