Sinn Fein deputy leader Michelle O’Neill is facing questions on multiple fronts as she was quizzed about a party employee’s resignation over the damage caused to a Belfast City Hall portrait and publicly admitted she was wrong about the age of the teenager sent inappropriate texts by a former senator.
The First Minister will return to the Assembly on Wednesday afternoon to field further questions before Stormont’s Executive Committee, this time on the party’s handling of the controversy around Michael McMonagle, the one time press officer who pleaded guilty to child sex offences.
On Monday, it emerged one of the party’s workers in the Assembly had admitted involvement in taking down the portrait of former DUP Lord Mayor Wallace Browne and causing damage to the glass.
The incident happened after a dinner celebrating the 20th anniversary of the founding of west Belfast Irish language organisation Glór na Móna, an event attended by senior members of the party, including former leader Gerry Adams.
In her statement to the Assembly, Ms O’Neill largely repeated one made by the party when it announced the employee who worked in the Assembly admitted involvement and later resigned from both employment and party membership. The PSNI was notified, Ms O’Neill added.
DUP MLA Phillip Brett had asked whether the attack was a “retaliation” over the removal of former Lord Mayor Niall O Donnghaile’s portrait from the City Hall last week.
In the Assembly, Ms O’Neill issued a statement in relation to Mr O’Donnghaile, saying she “fully accepts” that the boy was 16 when he received the texts from the Belfast man. In a previous statement, echoed by others in the party, Ms O’Neill said he was 17 at the time the texts were sent in early 2023.
“Yesterday I was asked about the age of the young person who was sent inappropriate text messages by a Sinn Fein representative,” the First Minister said.
“It was my understanding that the young person was 17 years of age based on the information of the application to join the party. This information was wrong. Over the weekend the young person made it clear that he was in fact 16 at the time and I fully accept this.”
In the Dail, leader Mary Lou McDonald offered a “full, unequivocal” apology to the teenager sent inappropriate texts by the former senator, from the Short Strand.
She also apologised for the “hurt” caused by a statement she issued paying tribute to Mr O Donnghaile following his resignation in December last year.
Ms McDonald said she previously stated the boy was 17 due to information on his application form to join the party’s youth wing, Ogra Shinn Fein.
“That information was wrong,” she said during Leaders’ Questions. “The young person themselves have made clear that he was, in fact, 16 at the time. So I want to correct the Dail record to reflect that he was, in fact, 16 years of age when these texts were sent.”
Questioning will continue on Wednesday with Ms O’Neill due before the executive committee for questioning on the McMonagle affair.
McMonagle was employed by the party for a full year after his August, 2021 arrest on child sex offences. Two party press officers then provided references, allowing him to secure a job with the British Heart Foundation.
