Tag Archives: Catherine Kelly

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!