Paul Hosford: Eamon Ó Cuív's defence over hiring of ex-prisoner speaks to his belief in rehabilitation
Former Fianna Fáil minister Éamon Ó Cuiv said Ursula Ní Shionnáin was an example of rehabilitation. File Picture: Richard Mills
As word emerged that independent TD Catherine Connolly had employed a woman who had been sentenced in 2014 for firearms offences, political parties across the board weighed up how to respond.
Ursula Ní Shionnáin, who at the time of her conviction was a member of Éirigí, was in 2014 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.
Ms Ní Shionnáin, a graduate of Trinity College who has since received a PhD, was a prominent member of the socialist republican group Éirigi, and co-accused John McGreal, aged 37, and Colin Brady, aged 24, were found guilty of the offences by the Special Criminal Court in 2014.
The non-jury court heard the accused were wearing disguises when they were intercepted by armed gardaí outside a residential premises in Co Offaly which doubled as a business for a licensed firearms seller.
Detective Inspector Michael Gibbons told the court one of the handguns recovered, a Brazilian-made Taurus pistol, was used in a murder in Tallaght in February 2002. He said there was no suggestion any of the defendants were involved in that offence.
They had pleaded not guilty to the unlawful possession of one 9mm parabellum calibre Taurus PT92 semi-automatic pistol, one magazine suitable for use with the Taurus PT92 pistol, one 9mm parabellum calibre Walther P5 semi-automatic pistol and one ZGJY branded combined stun gun and flashlight.
During sentencing, counsel for Ms Ní Shionnáin, Mr Leo Mulrooney BL, told the court his client was a young lady with “many interests, abilities and talents”.
Mr Justice Paul Butler sentenced each to six years in prison, of which Ms Ní Shionnáin served four and a half years.
At the time of Ms Ní Shionnáin's release, Ms Connolly had been working with a group of Irish-speaking politicians on a committee and was seeking a staff member to assist.
Ms Connolly denied the initial report that counter-terrorism gardaí had prevented Ms Shionnáin's employment and said she had, in fact, worked in Leinster House for six months, being signed in on a visitor's day pass, before leaving of her own volition before her vetting process had finished.
Ms Connolly also said it was hypocritical for people to say they believe in rehabilitation but not accept her employing Ms Ní Shionnáin.
While those on the left who have backed Ms Connolly have, largely, rowed in behind her, the coalition parties were quick to demand answers and clarity, with Fianna Fáil leading the charge.
First up was junior minister Thomas Byrne, who said the reports were "extremely concerning" in a press release issued on Wednesday evening, just hours after TheJournal.ie first reported the story, though much of his comments focused on the report the employment had been stopped by gardaí, a suggestion Ms Connolly has disputed.
“This is not some small matter. The president and their staff are trusted with a wide range of highly confidential documents, including government memos, and they receive regular security briefings," Mr Byrne said.
“We need an immediate and comprehensive explanation from Catherine Connolly about not just how she could have shown such appalling judgement, but just as importantly why this matter was hidden and her Oireachtas colleagues were not informed.
“At a minimum, Catherine Connolly should immediately release all correspondence she had when trying to get security clearance for a person still on early release for arms offences after conviction by the Special Criminal Court.”
On Thursday morning, Taoiseach Micheál Martin followed suit, telling reporters in Denmark the reports were “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."
But when Ms Connolly took to the airwaves in RTÉ for a pre-planned interview with Claire Byrne, she revealed it was another high-profile Fianna Fáil member who had actually recommended Ms Ní Shionnáin to Ms Connolly after then independent TD Clare Daly had done the same.
Speaking to Ms Byrne, Ms Connolly said it was Eamon Ó Cuív who had backed the appointment and, speaking to the on Thursday, he said that he believed the story to be little to be concerned about.
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 Shionnáin] had moved on,” Mr Ó Cuív said.
Mr Ó Cuív said Mr Martin was “entitled to his view” but he said 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.
Mr Ó Cuív stepped away from front-line politics last year, but was a frequent critic of Mr Martin's leadership. Mr Martin, of course, had beaten him to the position in 2011, and the Galway man resigned as deputy leader in 2012 over the party's position on that year's Fiscal Compact referendum.
In 2018, Mr Martin removed him from the party's front bench after he and senator Mark Daly had unveiled former Sinn Féin councillor Sorcha McAnespy as the party’s first election candidate in the North without the party's blessing.
Outside the front bench, he was frequently critical of Fianna Fáil leadership and was a leading voice in 2020 against coalition with Fine Gael. He and a group of 50 councillors came out in opposition to the deal at the time, saying 1,000 party members share their view.
Mr Ó Cuív said at that time anyone who cared about the Irish language, the Gaeltacht and the islands should vote against the programme for government agreed between his party, Fine Gael and the Green Party.
He was also vocal at a July 2022 meeting of backbench TDs and senators which had been seen as the first rumblings of a heave against Mr Martin which never materialised.
So it is likely Mr Martin will not have been surprised to see Mr Ó Cuív on the opposite side of this issue. But that's not to say this was about the Galway man's views on his party leader. He has long worked with Republican prisoners, and in 2022 was forced to defend a prison visit to convicted criminal and former Sinn Féin councillor Jonathan Dowdall.
The Galway West TD visited Mr Dowdall when he was in the Republican wing of Portlaoise Prison for his part in an attack on a man, who he waterboarded.
Speaking to on Galway Bay FM, Mr Ó Cuív said he had been visiting Republican prisoners since 1994 but "does not deal with gangland criminals".
"The work I do is mainly concentrated on the Republican movement and Republican prisoners and I've been doing that work openly for years, and I think there has been very good practical results from that work and one that in my view has saved a lot of lives,” he said.
Mr Ó Cuív was strident in his belief this week that the controversy around Ms Connolly was "a ball of smoke", but that speaks more to his belief in rehabilitation than any personal animus with his party leader.
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