John McNulty affair ‘despicable and deplorable’, says FF Senator

John McNulty was listed as a businessman and board member of the Irish Museum of Modern Art (Imma) on the Seanad byelection ballot paper, Fianna Fáil Senator Darragh O'Brien told the House.

“We know that he is not a board member of the Irish Museum of Modern Art . . . because the board never met to ratify his appointment,” he said.

Mr O'Brien raised the issue before it was confirmed in the Dáil by Taoiseach Enda Kenny that Mr McNulty had asked members of the Oireachtas not to vote for him.

Cathaoirleach Paddy Burke intervened to say he had ruled last week that the qualifications of candidates was not a matter for the Seanad.

‘Degradation’ of Seanad

Mr O’Brien said that while he accepted the ruling, the Government could not slide away from the issue and think people were going to forget about it.

“I am not forgetting about it because what has happened in the past week is absolutely despicable and deplorable,’’ he added. “It is a degradation of the Seanad.”

Mr O’Brien said that the Taoiseach and a Minister of his party had brought the chamber and the democratic structures of the State into disrepute. “A nomination was made up in order to ensure the individual concerned could run in the byelection,” he added.

Mr O'Brien said the House deserved answers. "Let us be fair . . . the Taoiseach belatedly apologised, but I do not know what he apologised for because the previous day he said it was a matter for the Minister, Deputy Heather Humphreys. "

Mr O’Brien said the Minister had failed to answer questions in the Seanad about the issue last week. She had re-read her script into the record of the House, he added.

Rónán Mullen (Ind) asked if the byelection process was invalidated, given that Mr McNulty was not a member of the Imma board. "It is a legitimate and important question."

Traumatic experience

Thomas Byrne

(FF) said he understood that Mr McNulty had withdrawn from the byelection, which was the “right and honourable’’ thing to do.

“He was put in a terrible situation by the Taoiseach and the Minister for Arts, who owe him and his family a complete and wholehearted apology,’’ he added.