‘This Is Clearly A Private Matter’

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Regina O’Doherty

Further to a post last week concerning Tyrone-born, US-based academic Catherine Kelly and Fine Gael TD and Minister for Social Protection Regina Doherty…

Yesterday.

In response to a question from Sinn Féin TD Mary Lou McDonald…

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar told the Dáil…

In respect of the Minister, Deputy Regina Doherty, I had a brief conversation with her about it. I understand that she made a complaint to the Garda with regard to harassment, and the Garda thought it sufficient to caution the individual against whom the complaint was made.

Obviously, if Deputy McDonald has any further questions, she should put them to her directly. This is clearly a private matter. It is not one of public policy.

It is one involving two individuals – one individual who felt that she was being harassed by another. The Garda, based on the evidence it saw, decided to take the action that it did.

Meanwhile…

Michael O’Regan, in The Irish Times, reports:

The Minister made a criminal complaint of harassment under the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act 1997 over online and social-media comments by Ms Kelly relating to the collapse of a company run by Ms Doherty and her husband eight years ago.

… Ms Kelly, whose partner, Jim Cullen, is the head of Friends of Sinn Féin in New York, is considering legal action against the Garda.

She has hired the Irish solicitor Michael Finucane and written to Minister for Justice Charlie Flanagan to allege that she was falsely imprisoned.

Mr Finucane has also asked Pearse Street Garda station for an explanation and written to Dublin Airport, seeking CCTV footage of the incident.

Regina Doherty blogger controversy private, Taoiseach says (The Irish Times)

Full Dail transcript here

Update:

FIGHT!

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34 thoughts on “‘This Is Clearly A Private Matter’

    1. Boj

      Any mention of Sinn Fein in a story and the non-SF subject of any revelation is automatically innocent. It’s predictably boring. Daisy’s ‘Blueshirt Bingo’ sums it up really.

      1. postmanpat

        No one is saying Regina is innocent. But criticism coming from a member of Sinn Fein IRA who murder innocent people is bit hypocritical to say the least.

        1. Boj

          So if you are in Sinn Fein, you are a murderer…check
          This is Catherine Kelly raising this case not a member of SF. My point was that the mention of a connection to Sinn Fein is being used to devalue her claim. And hook, line and sinker, people will jump on that. What if there was no mention of SF in the story? Would your opinion of Mrs Kelly be any different? I think it would and this comment section would be all about Regina & Catherine – which it should be as that is what the story is about…not SF.

          1. postmanpat

            I think if Catherine Kelly was politically neutral then Regina would not have bothered pulling her Garda hounds stunt in the first place. But Regina knows what Catherine Kelly is: A 32 county unification at any price cheerleader from a nice safe romantic distance in the USA with her old codger clown ex-US general boyfriend who raises fund from shady Irish/American construction unions . Regina was probably banking on Kelly making a spectacle and eventually the media would look a bit deeper into her background. Sure, I was on Ms. Kelly side when the story first broke a few days ago , but I didn’t know about her shady fundraising and terrorist connections. I think her students should know who is lecturing them too.

          2. ivan

            ok Pat, but if we accept your point, do you think that if, for example, you were to criticise Regina Dohety and were treated in a similar fashion by the guards, then that’d be ok.

            I’m gonna assume that per your contribution above, you’d be a bit miffed. Well unfortunately the law has to be even handed. If it’s wrong to pick on you, then it’s wrong to pick up on Catherine Kelly; you can’t frame a law that allows the Gardai special dispensation if they’re dealing with the partners of uppity Shinners or Lefties.

  1. Daisy Chainsaw

    Clearly a private matter, so Reg got her private security details to harass a woman in an airport… privately, without any proper paperwork.

  2. postmanpat

    Friends of Sinn Fein NY = IRA fundraising. Nice company you’re keeping Catherine.

    1. Steve

      +1

      Sure her mates in Sinn Fein IRA love door stepping people and asking for them to come for a quiet walk

      1. postmanpat

        ..never to be seen again. And yet when the police stop her in a public place and give her a pointless caution she gets up in arms. Pays a solicitor to write to the Minister for Justice to allege that she was “falsely imprisoned”. !?! Catherine Kelly is a child , she need to grow up. Donate to Ms Kellys legal “battle” here http://www.fosf.org/donate-now/

    2. Daisy Chainsaw

      Blueshirt Bingo. Can’t loyally defend their dodgy minister, so they attack the actual victim of harassment.

      1. Steve

        Haha , will ye stop. Doherty is in the wrong here, hope she’s pulled up for it.

        Only pointing that Kelly should be well used to hearing stories of harassment of innocent people.

  3. bisted

    …female FGers seem to be vying for the internet title currently held by Barbara Striesand…

    1. Boj

      Hmm, in the photo from indo Regina is driving herself in the same car as above…maybe she was feeling a bit worse for wear that morning, or is still pepped up from night before by the look of those eyes!
      Why do ministers need drivers anyway?

  4. ahjayzis

    As Ms. Kelly’s partner is BAD PERSON, I now suddenly find I have no problem with Ministers having the power to suborn the police into tracking down and threatening people for writing about publicly available information regarding their business affairs.

  5. kid jensen

    what does Kelly’s partner have to do with anything. eoghan Murphy’s grandad was Russell Murphy, Miriam o Callaghan’s brother is jim, sports broadcaster daire o’briens brother is disgraced financier breifne o’brien etc etc.

    1. Harry Molloy

      I’d say it’s particularly relevant as it might explain why the cops delivered their caution in such an unorthodox and improper fashion, if the allegations are true.
      Talk to any cop who was around in the 80s, they sincerely hate the shinners and anyone with anything to do with the ra, and like to keep close tabs on them and might like to antagonise them.

      Lots of grudges held due to murderer colleagues and various other acts. Such behaviour completely improper, but what’s new.

      Doubt Doherty anticipated a caution would be delivered in such a manner, why expose yourself to that like

  6. RuilleBuille

    Has Doherty paid back the illegal loan of €37,360 she took from the firm?

    What penalties did she receive for breaking the law with regard to lack of bookkeeping in the firm.

    1. Otis Blue

      C’mon why should that matter? Doesn’t she get up early in the morning.

      Anyhow it seems these types like by Beckett’s dictum:

      “Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better”.

  7. Frilly Keane

    As they say in Cork

    “Meath like to get their retaliation in first”

    My dog has more class in her runny sh0neT than this ‘wan

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