Sinn Féin TD Brian Stanley has apologised for any offence caused by what he said was the "insensitive nature" of a tweet he posted over the weekend.
"My tweet fell below the standard - not just the standard that we expect of each other, but the standard that I expect from myself as a member of the Dáil. And for that I am genuinely sorry."
Sinn Féin TD Brian Stanley has publicly apologised for any offence caused by what he said was the 'insensitive nature' of a tweet he posted over the weekend.
— RTÉ News (@rtenews) December 2, 2020
Mr Stanely was speaking at the Oireachtas Public Accounts Committee, which he chairs | Read more: https://t.co/2X5xl6CtCG pic.twitter.com/JKW1bQhfN7
It was Mr Stanley's first public comment since he posted a controversial tweet about the 1920 Kilmichael ambush and the 1979 Warrenpoint bombings.
Mr Stanley told members of the Public Accounts Committee that as chair of the committee, he was very conscious "that the controversy has placed you all in a difficult and totally unnecessary position, particularly when this committee has such important work to carry out."
"What I was attempting to do was to highlight that, following the disastrous decision to partition the country almost 100 years ago in the wake of events such as Kilmichael, that we still had conflict that went on for a long time and a lot of suffering took place.
"As we work to advance reconciliation on our island, we need to be able to talk about the past in a way that is honest to each other, to our beliefs, but also doesn't deepen division or cause hurt. As an Irish republican and someone in a position of political leadership, I have to be more aware of my responsibility, to ensure that I do not do anything that is disrespectful to others."
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Read more:
Taoiseach 'shocked and dismayed' over Stanley tweet
Ceann Comhairle calls on Stanley to address tweet
Arlene Foster to write to Ceann Comhairle over Sinn Féin TD's tweet
Fine Gael TDs called for Mr Stanley to make a statement in the Dáil on the matter.
Following the apology, Colm Burke, Alan Dillon and Jennifer Carroll MacNeill called for him to make a further personal statement.
Mr Burke told the hearing of the PAC that the tweet by Mr Stanley was "offensive."
He added that it was "disappointing" that the tweet was sent out and that it had created division.
"I think it is important there is a full statement in the Dáil by you."
Fine Gael's Jennifer Carroll McNeil said that Mr Stanley's tweet did hurt "survivors alive today"
She added: "My view is that you need to go further than an apology to this committee. You need to make a personal statement in the Dáil."
She said "We have to make sure to take steps to protect the moderate nature of our politics."
Alan Dillon said Mr Stanley's actions had "impacted on the work" on the work of the Public Accounts Committee.
He called for the Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald to make a statement on the matter.
Catherine Murphy of the Social Democrats said the controversial tweet had an impact "beyond this jurisdiction."
She told Deputy Stanley: "I would want an assurance that this is a 'one off' I have yet to hear that."
Sinn Féin TDs defended their party colleague.
Matt Cathy of Sinn Féin, said: "I know it is never easy to sit in front of colleagues and acknowledge you made a mistake."
He said Brian Stanley was is "a good man, first and foremost, he is a fair man."
Sinn Féin's Imelda Munster said Brian Stanley had "genuinely apologised."
Independent Verona Murphy TD said she accepted Mr Stanley's apology.
A number of Fianna Fáil TDs said the Public Accounts Committee was not the place to deal with Brian Stanley's tweet.
Fianna Fáil's Cormac Devlin said: "There is no doubt the tweet was hurtful. I hope we do not have this situation again."
Paul McAuliffe TD said his view was that the apology should be made to those who were impacted by the tweet.
Fianna Fáil Marc MacSharry said he accepted Mr Stanley's apology.
He asked is it the outcome of a controversy every time to seek "somebody's head"?
Ceann Comhairle Seán Ó Fearghaíl said last night that he was "personally appalled and profoundly dismayed" by the post.
He said the remarks required what he termed a "credible political response" from the chair of the Public Accounts Committee, which should be delivered "at the earliest opportunity".
Mr Ó Fearghaíl's comments were contained in a letter to Northern Ireland First Minister Arlene Foster, who had complained about the tweet by the Laois-Offaly TD.
Mr Stanley earlier apologised for the content of the "inappropriate and insensitive tweet" he posted on Saturday about the attacks.
The Ceann Comhairle said that while Mr Stanley was "an experienced and fair-minded member of Dáil Éireann", there was a duty to "uphold fundamental values and standards".
Mr Stanley's tweet received more than 500 likes on the platform and was shared close to 400 times before it was deleted.
The Kilmichael ambush was an attack carried out by the old IRA during the War of Independence in which 17 members of the Royal Irish Constabulary Auxiliary Division were killed.
The Warrenpoint ambush took place during the Troubles and saw 18 British soldiers killed by the Provisional IRA near Warrenpoint in 1979.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin said that the content of the tweet "damages our ability to reach out and genuinely try and create trust in a shared endeavour in the future on this island. It doesn't help that at all".
Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald described the tweet as a one-off mistake, which would not be repeated, and therefore her party would allow Mr Stanley to remain as PAC chair.
Additional reporting Paul Cunningham, David Murphy
