The new FG TD went on The Last Word with Matt Cooper yesterday evening to explain why she drove up the plinth outside Leinster House.
Matt Cooper: “How are you and what happened to you please?”
Mary Mitchell O’Connor: “Oh sure I’m fine, listen. Talk about silliness. I drove down the plinth! Don’t ask me. I didn’t know the geography of Dáil Éireann. I expected to be learning, you know, inside the building. I didn’t realise that I’d need to know the geography outside the building.”
Cooper: “How many steps -”
Mitchell O’Connor: “I am. I apologise. My God, I mean, it’s so… I do feel silly now”
Cooper: “How many steps did you drive down off the plinth?”
Mitchell O’Connor: “Oh listen, I couldn’t tell you, I got such a fright and I mean of all the… Every press photographer every camera was outside, you know, photographing me? So I couldn’t tell you now to be honest.”
Cooper: “Are you all right? You didn’t injure yourself because it looks from the photograph there’s about four fairly large steps that you drove down, Italian job-style.”
Mitchell O’Connor: “I know it sounds like something you’d see in a film. I, honest to God, I don’t know how many steps but it didn’t feel like four steps. It felt like two.”
Cooper: And are you hurt in any way?
Mitchell O’Connor: No I’m not. Not a bit. My pride is hurt [laughs]
Cooper: “Was there any damage to the car?”
Mitchell O’Connor: “No, no, no, not as far as I know. I came home in it anyway and it’s fine.”
Cooper: “What about the rumour that this was being filmed as part of a new Specsavers ad?”
Mitchell O’Connor: “But come here, would you believe it, I have made an appointment with my optician tomorrow morning.”
Cooper: “I hope your insurance won’t go up because of this.”
Mitchell O’Connor: “I certainly hope my insurance company weren’t watching. Well, to be honest now, touch wood, I haven’t had an accident in 30 years’ driving so please God that’ll be the last mistake I’ll make in Dáil Éireann.”