Former Fianna Fáil minister defends Catherine Connolly's hiring of woman with gun conviction

Ms Connolly denied that she had spoken to gardaí about the woman, or that she had received advice not to hire her

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

A former Fianna Fáil minister has leapt to the defence of presidential candidate Catherine Connolly amid criticism from the Taoiseach of her decision to hire a woman who had been jailed for firearms offences.

Ms Connolly hired Ursula Ní Shionnain in 2018 after her release from prison because she was “a person who had rehabilitated herself”.

Ms Ní Shionnáin had been convicted by the Special Criminal Court in February 2014 and given a six-year sentence for firearms offences, of which she served almost four-and-a-half years.

She was a member of the dissident socialist republican group Éirígí.

The court heard that she was travelling in a stolen van in 2012 with a co-accused and one of the weapons discovered in the vehicle was a pistol used in a murder ten years earlier.

There was no suggestion that Ms Ní Shionnáin was linked to the murder. 

Taoiseach Micheál Martin said Ms Connolly's decision to employ Ms Ní Shionnain raised "serious questions" about her judgement, but former Fianna Fáil TD Eamon Ó Cuív has defended Ms Connolly and confirmed he had recommended the hiring of Ms Ní Shionnain.

Mr Ó Cuív, a former Fianna Fáil deputy leader, is known for regularly visiting prisons, particularly dealing with Republican prisoners.

“If Catherine showed a lack of judgement, I did equally, because she asked me about her and I said that I was personally satisfied that she (Ms Ní Shionnain) had moved on,” Mr Ó Cuív said.

Mr Ó Cuív said Mr Martin was “entitled to his view” but he said that Ms Ní Shionnáin was an example of rehabilitation.

“Here’s a person who was let out of prison and she got on with her life, finished a PhD, so she’s now Dr Ursula Ní Shionnáin,” Mr Ó Cuív said.

“She’s held down a number of jobs and she’s getting on with her life in a positive way.

“So where is the lack of judgement? Because she has proven herself to those who had faith in her."

Ms Connolly denied she had been prevented from hiring Ms Ní Shionnáin by gardaí, saying that she had been employed for six months in Leinster House before "leaving of her own volition".

She said 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.” 

Speaking in Denmark on Thursday morning, Taoiseach Micheál Martin described the hiring of Ní Shionnain as “very serious”.

"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.

“Of course, 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.”

Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald backed Ms Connolly, saying that she had followed the proper procedures when employing the woman.

Speaking at the party's launch of its alternative Budget in Dublin this afternoon, Ms McDonald said that she had not discussed the issue with Ms Connolly, but that they will be in contact on "many important issues" in the coming days.

Ms McDonald said that the case was one of rehabilitation and that she was working on the assumption that the woman who had been employed by Ms Connolly was now a supporter of the peace process and that this was "a good thing".