Catherine Connolly 'had no contact with gardaí' over hiring woman convicted of gun offences

Catherine Connolly (pictured) said she 'believes in rehabilitation' and that Ms Ní Shionnáin was qualified for the job and had 'served her time in prison'. File picture: Sasko Lazarov/© RollingNews.ie

Independent presidential election candidate Catherine Connolly has said she was not told by gardaí that she could not hire a woman convicted of gun offences.

Hours after Taoiseach Micheál Martin accused her of a “lack of judgement”, Ms Connolly said Ursula Ní Shionnáin, who at the time of her conviction was a member of Éirigí, had been recommended to her by Fianna Fáil grandee Eamon Ó Cuiv and former MEP Clare Daly.

Ms Connolly said she “believes in rehabilitation” and that Ms Ní Shionnáin was qualified for the job and had “served her time in prison”.  The Journal reported that counterterrorism gardaí intervened to prevent Ms Connolly from hiring Ms Ní Shionnáin as administrative support in 2018.

In 2014, she was sentenced to six years in prison at the Special Criminal Court for unlawful possession of firearms and possession of ammunition. She served four-and-a-half years of her sentence and was released in 2018.

Speaking on RTÉ’s Today with Claire Byrne, Ms Connolly denied that she had spoken to gardaí about the woman, or that she had received advice not to hire her.

She stated that Ms Ní Shionnáin had worked in Leinster House but left after six months. 

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At this stage, the vetting process had not been completed and she did not have a permanent pass to enter Leinster House.

“She was absolutely perfect for the job, and I took her on,” Ms Connolly said. “It was for three days, and over the period of time, from day one, she filled out an application form, explained everything.

“The clearance process took some time, and in the end, she left of her own volition. She was there for almost six months, less than six months.” 

I’ve had no contact with the gardaí in relation to this matter. Absolutely none.

“This woman filled out her application form from day one, declared everything and then there's a process, and that process went on for quite some time. It's not unusual. I've spoken to other people, and sometimes the process goes on for a year or two years.

“In this case, it went on and I checked I have emails that asked, ‘Where's the process at? It's going on for a very long time’. There was no outcome. 

"The process just went on and on, and in the end, the person left, and my contact was simply with the superintendent, or whoever the relevant person is. My only intervention was to say, ‘When is the process going to be completed?’ It was very inconvenient.” 

Ms Connolly said there is a committee that visits republican prisoners in prison, and that Mr Ó Cuiv “in particular” suggested she should get the job. She said she “abhors violence” but that “this person served her time in prison, and she came out earlier than her term” and was a “model prisoner”.

She added: 

I believe in rehabilitation. I believe in giving someone a chance in life. 

Speaking in Denmark on Thursday morning, Mr Martin described the reports as “very serious”.

“[It] is very serious in terms of someone who, apparently from The Journal article, had served four and a half years in prison for possession of firearms and also [was] a member of an organisation that did everything to undermine the Irish peace process,” he said.

"[It] would indicate a very serious lack of judgment, and I think Catherine Connolly needs to clarify that in its entirety and be fully transparent in respect of it."

Speaking in Trim, Fine Gael’s presidential candidate Heather Humphreys described the controversy as a “serious issue”.

“This person was a member of ÉirigÍ, that is the organisation that tried to dismantle the Good Friday Agreement. She was obviously working in the Houses of the Oireachtas for six months,” Ms Humphreys said.

“My concern here, and I think Catherine does need to explain this, is how come she had access to the Oireachtas without Garda clearance.” 

Pressed if the vetting issue was not a matter for the Gardaí, Ms Humphreys said it was a matter for the employer.

Asked about the possibility of rehabilitation, as Ms Ní Shionnáin had served her prison sentence, Ms Humphreys said: “Access to the Oireachtas is access to all of the elected members of this country. Whether its TDs or whether its senators, there are rules in place there and they’re very clearly set down the rules and you have to abide by the rules,” Ms Humphreys said.

“Of course, you know, people do deserve a second chance absolutely. I’ve given many people a second chance myself and I understand that.

“But this was a serious crime, like this was possession of firearms and she was found guilty in the Special Criminal Court.”