Sinn Féin TD admits visiting homes of members after disagreeing with social media posts

The Sinn Féin TD said he has gone to the homes of members whose social media posts he disagreed with. File picture. 

A Sinn Féin TD has said that he has gone to the homes of members whose social media posts he disagreed with.

Tipperary TD Martin Browne also told Tipp Today on TippFM that the criticism of his party colleague Brian Stanley's tweet about the Narrow Water ambush was wrong.

Sinn Féin came under intense scrutiny over the weekend as young party members left the organisation, one of whom, Christine O'Mahony, told the Irish Examiner she had been at home when a local party officer called to her front door and told her to delete tweets that were critical of the party.

Pictured is Sinn Féin TD Martin Browne at the first day of the 33rd DáIl. He has defended his colleague Brian Stanley's tweets. Picture: Andy Gibson

Asked if he would have done the same, Mr Browne said he had, but accepted that Ms O'Mahony had felt intimidated and that this was wrong.

"I would and have done down through the years. I have been chairman of my own cumann in Cashel. This was a next-door neighbour, three doors down. It wasn’t as Leo Varadkar and them are trying to paint it, that this was a heavy or unknown."

Mr Browne also said that the different versions of groups fighting for Irish freedom had the same goals and that the party should not apologise for supporting them.

“Apologies – in my own personal view – they should stop.

“It’s history and people need to learn their history. We have been occupied for 800 years in this country. Thing’s happened on both sides – let’s not try and paint any one side any worse than the other.

"He has his beliefs and they would be the same as mine. We had a conflict in the North and things happened on both sides – let’s not try and paint one side any worse than the other. There is no one side worse than the other.

“We had an occupied country – a foreign force there. It doesn’t matter if it was in the 20s, 50s, ’70s or 80’s it was the same aim – to free our country from an occupying force.”

Mr Stanley, who has taken the week to be with his family amid the controversy, will address the Dáil on the matter next week.