Sinn Féin have spent the past decade trying to wash themselves clean of their involvement in the Troubles. The conflict was indeed a very bloody affair for the party. So much blood stained the hands of both sides, Republican and Unionist. And as we all know, blood does not easily wash away.
A few hours after I interviewed Mary Lou McDonald, a damning PSNI-M15 report about the current status of paramilitary groups in Northern Ireland was published. I came across this news via a satirical post by Waterford Whispers on my Facebook newsfeed. The headline screamed “IRA Formally Deny They Still Exist.” It has since clocked up 21,800 shares. This post, although satirical, was a reference to the very real and damning PSNI-M15 report.
“So much blood stained the hands of both sides, Republican and Unionist. And as we all know, blood does not easily wash away”
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The report states that the Provisional Irish Republican Army (PIRA) was responsible for 1,771 murders between 1969-1998. Furthermore, PIRA members have been directed into supporting Sinn Féin, allegedly partaking in activities such as leafleting and electioneering. The report also states that the Provisional Army Council (PAC) oversees both PIRA and Sinn Féin with an overarching strategy. For most, this intrinsically links the PIRA, PAC and Sinn Féin. For me, a shadow of suspicion suddenly extended over my entire interview with McDonald. Could it be, that McDonald, the Vice-President of Sinn Féin, has been unaware of such connections? Or worse still, has she been hiding behind a veil of innocence?
Sinn Féin has become synonymous with controversy. Despite this, during the course of our interview, McDonald manages to disassociate herself from it. She barely flinches, rarely stumbles – she is confident, calm and composed. Her answers and ideas are coherent and well thought out. This, along with her middle-class image and light-hearted nature, contrasts considerably with the more militant portrayal of her party, Sinn Féin.
How does she feel about this observation? “The gas thing is: if you’re inside Sinn Féin and actually know the party, I’m not unique. It’s not as if I walk into meetings and people say ‘oh my god the aberration has entered the room.’ There’s lots of people who are middle-class … who are university educated … Can I issue a profound apology to your newspaper and to anybody who is offended by my middle class-ness?”, she quips.
“The gas thing is: if you’re inside Sinn Féin and actually know the party, I’m not unique. It’s not as if I walk into meetings and people say ‘oh my god the aberration has entered the room”
McDonald hails from the heart of south Co Dublin – Orwell Road in Rathgar. She attended Trinity College Dublin, pursuing a degree in English literature, and reflects fondly on her experiences there: “I loved the subject, the course, the people.”
Although not involved in student union politics, she has always been politically engaged: “Over the years, your politics develop but that’s just part of you developing … you become a mother, your life changes … you become a sum of the life that you live, as well as the thoughts that you think.” This thoughtful display is far-removed from the brutality of paramilitaries in the North. It’s almost hard to comprehend any connection between McDonald and violence. But that is exactly what the report articulates – a link between the Army Council and the upper echelons of Sinn Féin.
Away from controversy, McDonald has been credited with fostering Sinn Féin’s leftist, egalitarian approach. She cites this as her reason for leaving Fianna Fáil in 1998: “I believe in social justice. That’s what most animates me as a human being and as a political activist. Fianna Fáil is many things but it is not interested in social justice … I’m also interested in Irish unity so Sinn Féin, despite the stereotype … is actually the perfect blend of my politics’’.
Micheál Martin, the leader of Fianna Fáil, recently said that Sinn Féin is a “mafia-like run organisation”, and that his party would not enter government with them. Why is it that other parties are so reluctant to engage in politics with Sinn Féin? “They’re not. It’s all a facade. I think Micheál Martin reaches for that line out of a sense of desperation and having nothing else of particular interest to say … I think on one level it’s to play to a certain prejudice. He is conscious of his party and their polling rating. He possibly sees this as an opportunistic thing to have a go at us.”
“It’s all a facade. I think Micheál Martin reaches for that line out of a sense of desperation and having nothing else of particular interest to say … I think on one level it’s to play to a certain prejudice. He is conscious of his party and their polling rating. He possibly sees this as an opportunistic thing to have a go at us”
“I am not a member of any mafia, of any cult. I am a normal functioning human being with a mind of my own. We are in Sinn Féin because we are Irish republicans and we believe in democracy, Irish unity and social justice.”
Like most politicians, McDonald knows the power of emotive language. Words like “democracy” and “justice” pop up in every sentence. It’s hard not to be drawn in by such charm and captivating passion.
McDonald is certainly capable. She is currently a TD for the Dublin Central constituency and was a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) from 2004 to 2009. In 2007, she was short-listed for the “MEP of the Year” award by the European Parliament magazine for “making the most valuable contribution in the field of employment policy”. Many believe she represents the future for Sinn Féin and see her as the party leader in waiting. Although, she claims, that is not going to happen, stating “there is no vacancy”, denying any allegations that Gerry Adams may be stepping down soon, after 32 years at the helm.
Despite her glowing resume, she is often dragged into petty squabbles regarding the history and political legitimacy of her party and its leader. But does she think the constant need to defend Gerry Adams invalidates her own success? A little taken aback, she quickly responds with a firm “no”.
Clearly, her loyalty to Adams runs deep: “I think it is just a natural consequence of the fact that there was a war in the North of Ireland … I am an Irish republican … I am as republican as everyone else but I am not a walking authority on the precise ins and outs of everything that happened in Belfast.
“The truth is, because of that conflict and because of the hurt that was endured on people of all sides, of course issues will arise and you have to deal with them. I’ve no issue in dealing with them … it can challenge you sometimes but that goes with the turf when you’re in the public eye.”
McDonald has defended her party and its role in the peace process – even when challenged with its violent, vexing history. When Ryan Tubridy asked her if Gerry Adams ordered the killing of Jean McConville, the Belfast mother-of-ten who was taken from her house in the middle of the night and buried in an undisclosed location – McDonald didn’t flinch. Gerry Adams had not ordered the death sentence. The Adams accusation emerged from the testimony of the late Brendan Hughes, whom she labels a “vigorous and determined opponent of the peace process”. She claims that Hughes used the McConville case to tarnish Adams and derail the fragile peace process.
“I am not a member of any mafia, of any cult. I am a normal functioning human being with a mind of my own. We are in Sinn Féin because we are Irish republicans and we believe in democracy, Irish unity and social justice.”
Although Sinn Féin shows off the peace process like a golden medal, McDonald also claims they are dedicated to a united Ireland. Is it possible for these two to coexist? Do these goals not contradict one another? “There is an issue around sustaining the current institutions, the architecture of the Good Friday Agreement, building relationships with others, building a relationship with Unionism, building confidence in the political process. All of these are big asks in a society that’s come out of a very vicious conflict. But I see a united, agreed Ireland…. so we have to argue persuasively, conscious that there is another view of what we believe is best for Ireland. And equally Unionism has to justify why partition is increasing in the North, now with the Tory government, as they pile on the austerity. These are people who have no mandate in Ireland. Austerity is now the price of the union. People are watching what happened in Scotland, what might happen in the future in Scotland …’’.
McDonald firmly believes that the Irish public want a united Ireland: “They want to know what that means.” But at what cost? “I think any notion that there would be potential conflict is, of course, a source of concern. That’s the last thing we want. That’s why the quality of political dialogue and the intervention by government here in Dublin is so important. It’s not like Belfast is an exotic land – it’s up the road. It’s in Ireland. And we have the responsibility to shape that in a way that’s democratic, fair and respectful. That’s the way you minimise any possibility of conflict on the streets.”
“Everything McDonald says is very appealing. She oozes confidence and charisma. However, I am reminded of the PSNI-M15 report stating that “all of the paramilitary groups operating during the Troubles remain features of life in Northern Ireland’’
Everything McDonald says is very appealing. She oozes confidence and charisma. However, I am reminded of the PSNI-M15 report stating that “all of the paramilitary groups operating during the Troubles remain features of life in Northern Ireland’’. Suddenly, Belfast does feel like an exotic land fraught with danger. Sinn Féin has vigorously denied the accusations of the report with senior members, councillors and TDs dismissing it as an attempt to undermine the party’s credibility before elections north and south of the border. In a radio interview with RTÉ’s Morning Ireland, Sinn Féin TD Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin was resolute: “The IRA no longer exists. This isn’t about questions … This is very very definitely a concerted effort on the part of the political parties. It’s nakedly all about the upcoming elections in both the state and in the north and we have seen it all before.”
Will Sinn Féin be forever tethered to the atrocities of the Troubles? The party has worked hard to present itself as a credible electoral alternative to the Fianna Fáil/Fine Gael duopoly, but somehow the spectre of republican violence always emerges when Sinn Féin seems to be garnering genuine support. With an election around the corner, the timing and publication of the PSNI report is dubious. Unfortunately for Sinn Féin, their response has been equally suspect. When confronted with the crimes of their IRA brethren, Sinn Féin resort to obfuscation, misdirection and outright denial – even with a weight of evidence stacked against them.
Mary Lou McDonald is a talented, intelligent and capable politician. But even she must acknowledge that Sinn Féin needs to provide the voting public with the one quality lacking from the party and its relationship with the Troubles: transparency. Until Sinn Féin are honest about their past, the blood will not be washed away.
