LAST UPDATE | 16 Sep

SOCIAL DEMOCRATS LEADER Holly Cairns has said she only learned of Eoin Hayes’ “indefensible” Halloween costume through the media.

Cairns, who today is returning from maternity leave to head her party’s think-in before the Dáil returns, added that she has only had a “brief” conversation with Hayes since the controversy came to light yesterday.

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Hayes last night issued an apology for wearing “brown makeup” on his face and hands while dressing up as then US president Barack Obama at a Halloween party in 2009.

Hayes wore the costume while president of University College Cork’s student union. 

In a statement yesterday evening, Hayes said that a news outlet had obtained images of him at the event and would publish them – the images were on the front page of today’s Irish Daily Mail. 

Social Democrats TD Eoin Hayes

Hayes said he had “dressed up as someone I greatly admired at the time, US President Barack Obama – whose re-election campaign I went on to work for in 2012″.

Hayes added that he didn’t have an understanding of “how hurtful” such an action was at the time and has since come to realise how “completely inappropriate” it was, calling it a “huge mistake”.

He said he condemns racism and takes full responsibility for the incident.

Speaking on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland ahead of her party’s think-in, Cairns said “there’s no way to sugarcoat” the incident.

“I’m hugely disappointed and annoyed about this situation on my first day back,” she added.

“There are so many issues that we would prefer to be focusing on instead.”

She said she wanted to be “clear that blackface is a form of racism” and added that she is “glad Hayes has acknowledged that and taken full responsibility”.

“He said he didn’t understand how objectionable and hurtful it was at the time, but that he should have known better, and he’s issued an unreserved apology to that effect.”

Cairns said she only became aware of the incident yesterday evening and learned of it through the media.

She also said she has only had a “brief” conversation with Hayes and that she will speak to him in “more detail later”.

Social Democrats leader Holly Cairns in Dublin today. Leah Farrell Leah Farrell

Cairns meanwhile revealed that Hayes will not be attending today’s think-in, adding that he “doesn’t want to take attention away from the important issues that we’re focusing on”.

When asked what action would be taken against Hayes, Cairns replied: “If this had happened last week or even last year, it’s very clear that he would no longer be a Social Democrats TD.

“The fact that this happened 16 years ago is a very different situation.

She added: “But I’m also aware that it requires a bit of thought. The parliamentary party meeting hasn’t met, so it does require a bit more to think about as a party.

“My real priority is to make sure that everybody feels welcome to the Social Democrats.”

Cairns then said there was no “question mark” over Hayes continuing in the party.

“Eoin went on to work on Obama’s campaign, so that illustrates a lack of understanding rather than a mocking, and I think that’s an important aspect in all of this.

“But I want to be really clear that blackface is a form of racism – it was then, it is now.”

This is the second scandal to hit Hayes, who was only recently readmitted to the party after he admitted to supplying incorrect information about when he had sold his shares in Palantir, an IDF-linked company he had previously worked for.

The Social Democrats’ acting leader Cian O’Callaghan brought Hayes back into the fold at the end of June after seven months’ suspension – Cairns today said she supported this decision.

Cairns also said Hayes has “explained everything in relation to the shares” and added that Dáil time should not be taken up for “Hayes to explain something he’s already explained” when the Dáil “hasn’t sat for two months”.

Asked for his reaction at the Fianna Fáil think-in in Cork this morning, Taoiseach Micheál Martin said the Social Democrats “do tend to lecture everybody else in terms of proper behavior, so it’s somewhat unfortunate for them to end up in this sort of a controversy on the day of their parliamentary party think-in”.

He added that, in his view, Hayes has “apologised fulsomely for this”.

“It was during his student days. So I think, as far as I’m concerned, that’s that’s where the issue rests,” the Taoiseach said.

In a Facebook post, Crowe said Hayes was “a good person, trying to do good things for the community that elected him”.

“I certainly don’t think he is racist and I don’t think it’s right that he should now be ‘cancelled’ for a silly mistake / act of poor judgement when he was a student many years ago.”

Meanwhile from the left, People Before Profit TD Paul Murphy has said: “Regardless of the circumstances, white people in “blackface” is always racist and always completely unacceptable.

“While I welcome the fact that Hayes has apologised, his claim of ignorance is no excuse.”

With reporting from David Mac Redmond