SINN FÉIN LEADER Mary Lou McDonald has defended the appointment of a TD who was found guilty years ago of a public order offence as the party’s spokesperson for justice.

Matt Carthy appeared in court in 1998 at the age of 21 over a public order offence. 

Carthy became a councillor for Sinn Féin in 1999, an MEP in 2014 and a TD in 2020.

Today, as part of an announcement of Sinn Féin’s new front bench roles, McDonald appointed Carthy to be the party’s new spokesperson for justice, home affairs and migration.

While McDonald was speaking to media at the announcement, she was asked if Carthy’s appointment was appropriate given his former public order offence. 

“Matt is more than an appropriate fit for this. I think what you will see is that Matt Carthy will bring vigour to this portfolio and he will challenge the government very, very strongly in terms of people feeling safe on the streets,” McDonald said.

“If you want to go back do a review of all members of the Oireachtas and find out who pulled whose pigtails on the playground or who was involved in what, you’re going to find far more spicy narratives than anything around Matt Carthy,” she said.

She confirmed that she has “absolutely full confidence” in Carthy.

“It’s, of course, not just the justice piece. It’s immigration, international protection and so on. That issue hasn’t gone away,” she said.

“The last government got that policy area very, very wrong. We have to get it right, because the consequences of getting it wrong are social division and rancour and anger and and we can’t have a rerun of that.”

The Journal has sought comment from Matt Carthy.

The Irish Independent reports that he told the newspaper he was a very young man when the incident occurred and that “the Probation Act was applied, which means I have no criminal conviction”.

“Since then, I have been a public representative and I have had a very good relationship with gardaí at all levels and across all ranks,” Carthy said.

In a statement published this evening, Carthy said he was “very pleased” to have been appointed to the role of spokesperson on justice and home affairs.

“Proper policing, garda visibility and community safety are issues which need to be prioritised. These are issues which I have long been vocal on in my own constituency,” he said.

“Over recent years under Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael we have seen a marked drop in garda visibility leaving many communities feeling abandoned and unsafe. Many streets including those in our capital city are no longer as safe as they should be. Ensuring that this situation is addressed will be my top priorities.

“In terms of migration it is long past time that we have a fair system that works properly. There can be no repeat of the litany of failures and chaos of the last government in terms of the migration and asylum process.”