Cork councillor apologises for anti-Semitic accusation

A Fianna Fáil politician has apologised unreservedly to a city council colleague for accusing him of making anti-Semitic remarks.

Cork city councillor Terry Shannon has also paid the legal costs, and provided a €300 donation to the Cork Penny Dinners charity, chosen by Workers’ Party councillor Ted Tynan.

It follows a threat of legal action and extensive legal correspondence over the last year arising out of comments Mr Shannon made at a public meeting of Cork City Council on September 26, 2016, during which Mr Tynan criticised the involvement of an Israeli company in an industry conference in Cork on water services.

It prompted Mr Shannon to accuse Mr Tynan of being “anti-Semitic”. Mr Tynan demanded an apology. The remarks were condemned by other councillors, before then lord mayor Cllr Des Cahill invited Mr Shannon to withdraw the remarks.

Workers’ Party councillor Ted Tynan

Mr Shannon said he apologised to Mr Tynan after the meeting and again at a council meeting on October 24.

But Mr Tynan described those apologies as “mealy-mouthed” and said Mr Shannon didn’t understand the difference between anti-Semitism and his anti-Zionist stance.

Mr Tynan engaged the services of solicitor John Boylan who wrote to Mr Shannon on October 24 last, describing the comments as a “serious defamation” which had caused Mr Tynan and his family upset, and which were particularly damaging given Mr Tynan is a public representative.

Following legal correspondence, Mr Shannon issued a written apology in July.

Mr Tynan welcomed the apology but said he was sorry had to go down the legal route to secure it.

“All I wanted was a simple apology in the same forum that he made the other comments,” he said.