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The Taoiseach has insisted his party has not been forced on to the back foot by controversies that have emerged during the election campaign.
Fine Gael leader Simon Harris was asked whether scrutiny of Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary’s comments about teachers at a Fine Gael event and a furore over the candidature of senator John McGahon had stalled the party’s momentum.
Mr O’Leary faced criticism for saying he would not hire teachers to “get things done” at a Fine Gael candidate launch event at the start of the campaign.
The remark drew laughs from the gathered Fine Gael faithful – something that has been highlighted by rival parties.
In recent days, other parties have also called on Mr Harris to distance himself from Co Louth election candidate Mr McGahon.
Mr McGahon, a Fine Gael senator, was found not guilty of assaulting a man outside a Dundalk nightclub in a criminal case two years ago but a High Court civil action earlier this year found him liable, with Mr McGahon ordered to pay damages.
He was found 65 per cent liable and ordered to pay €39,000 for his role in the incident in 2018.
A photograph of the complainant’s injuries was printed in a Sunday newspaper while footage of the altercation has been circulating on social media.
Canvassing in Co Roscommon on Tuesday, Mr Harris was asked whether the issues had pushed him and his party on to the back foot.
“I don’t think that at all,” he replied.
“I’m really enjoying this campaign to be quite honest, (I am) getting a lot of energy from talking to people across the country and hearing people very responsive.
“And I say this very respectfully, but as I travel around the country… we hear people raising the issues that matter to them in their lives, in their community and their family.
“Issues around housing, issues around cost of living, a lot around cost of living… small businesses, farmers worried about their viability in terms of the future of the family farm, rural regeneration.
“So the real issues, the bread and butter, I suppose, issues of this election campaign, and I’m looking forward to continuing those conversations.”
Mr Harris said he welcomed being asked about Mr McGahon in the first televised debate of the campaign on RTE on Monday night.
“I’m very grateful that it was raised last night because it gave me an opportunity to, I suppose, very clearly say to the Irish people that if John McGahon had been convicted of a criminal offence, John McGahon wouldn’t be a Fine Gael candidate, but he wasn’t,” he said.
“He put forward a defence of self-defence, that was accepted by a jury of 12 men and women, and he was acquitted of the criminal charge. He paid, quite rightly, a hefty financial penalty in a civil court. I think that’s appropriate. He was democratically selected to contest the election in Louth and now it will ultimately be up to the people of Louth to decide who they wish to represent them.”
On the campaign in Co Cavan, Tánaiste and Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin expressed surprise that Fine Gael continued to stand by the candidacy of Mr McGahon.
“I did see the video, I think it was quite shocking, and the level of violence was unacceptable and there seemed to be consistent blows to the head, which can be very dangerous, as we know,” he said.
“The victim here did suffer severe facial injuries, as we have seen now from the photographs that are going round.”
He added: “I am surprised at the continuing support for Senator McGahon, but it’s a matter now for the people in Louth to decide, there’s an election coming forward, he’s on the ballot paper.
“My view is, and I was asked if a similar thing happened in our situation I don’t believe he would be a candidate for Fianna Fáil if we had, you know, similar access to the videos and so on like that. It’s a very vicious scene to witness.”
Speaking at an environmental policy launch event in Dublin, Labour leader Ivana Bacik said: “I think the Taoiseach has questions to answer about the ongoing candidacy of somebody who has been found civilly liable of contributing significantly to very serious injuries that we saw only for the first time disclosed on Sunday.”
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Social Democrats deputy leader Cian O’Callaghan said he was “disappointed” that Mr Harris had sought to “defend” Mr McGahon during the RTÉ debate.
“It really is sending out the wrong message, I think, to people in this country in relation to violence,” he said.
“I am calling on the Taoiseach to stop that defence of that candidate and at this stage Fine Gael should be withdrawing that candidate.”