Morris witness seeks Green seats on Donegal councils

A KEY witness in the Morris tribunal is to run as a Green Party candidate in the local elections next year in her home town of…

A KEY witness in the Morris tribunal is to run as a Green Party candidate in the local elections next year in her home town of Buncrana, Co Donegal.

Sheenagh McMahon, whose revelations about her estranged husband, former Det Garda Noel McMahon, led to the establishment of the tribunal, is to seek election to Buncrana Town Council and the Inishowen electoral area of Donegal County Council.

Ms McMahon (47) who separated from her husband in 2001, yesterday said she was looking forward to the challenge.

"One of the main reasons I decided to get involved in politics was because during my ordeal at the tribunal, I found little support when I went looking for help on a political level," she said.

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"If I get elected, I would like to help empower people in Buncrana and Inishowen to tackle their own personal challenges. People don't realise how much resilience and strength they have inside them."

The mother of three sons aged 16 to 24, she chose the Green Party because she feels the Inishowen peninsula needs a change.

There has never been a Green Party councillor in Inishowen and I feel it's time for a change. I like the party's principles and what they stand for and I have always been interested in the environment.

"The Greens want more renewable energy and recycling, more decision-making at a community level and more open government."

Ms McMahon works with victims of domestic abuse in Inishowen. She hopes being a councillor will help her "give something back". People in Buncrana and Inishowen, she said, were a tremendous support to her during the tribunal.

In 1999, Ms McMahon revealed that her husband made and planted home-made explosives, later claiming them as significant IRA finds, to further his career. She spent five days in the tribunal witness box and describes this episode in her life as "the most horrific experience".

Green Party secretary in Donegal, Frank Gallagher, yesterday confirmed Ms McMahon would be among five candidates for the party in the county in 2009. It is expected her candidacy will be ratified by party headquarters in the coming weeks.