Sinn Féin's Mary Lou McDonald 'not a bully and funds own legal cases', says Eoin Ó Broin

€1,000 donation made to Ms McDonald in 2011 by convicted criminal Jonathan Dowdall has been spent and “there is no question of a refund.”

Coalition Against SLAPPs in Europe (CASE) has named Mary Lou McDonald as the politician who has “proven most reliant on SLAPPs and legal intimidation to respond to opposition, dissent, or efforts at accountability”.

Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald is not a bully and funds her own legal cases, the party’s housing spokesman has said.

Eoin Ó Broin also said that a €1,000 donation which was made to Ms McDonald in 2011 by convicted criminal Jonathan Dowdall has been spent and “there is no question of a refund”.