Sinn Féin TD used Oireachtas printing service for 1916 leaflets

Sinn Féin’s Aengus Ó Snodaigh used the Oireachtas “in-house” printing service to produce 20,000 leaflets marking the 100th anniversary of 1916 for distribution in his constituency.

Documents released under the Freedom of Information Act (FoI) show he availed of a printing perk open to all TDs and Senators to create a full-colour “information newsletter” reproducing the Proclamation and providing his phone, email, Twitter and Facebook details.

The Dublin South-Central deputy was dubbed the “Wolfe Toner” in 2012 after it emerged he had used €50,000 worth of printer cartridges over an earlier two-year period.

Mr Ó Snodaigh told The Irish Times yesterday that his constituency team had already delivered half of the 20,000 Easter 2016 leaflets he said he had printed, which he said cost the Oireachtas just over €600.

“My previous experience and the furore that that caused is always at the back of my mind. But these have been well-received. People are sticking the Proclamation on their walls,” he said.

“Some people have been asking for more copies and looking to send them abroad to friends and relatives.”

Fianna Fáil TDs Seán Ó Fearghaíl and Niall Collins used the service to produce commemorative calendars featuring their contact details and a list of 1916-related events.

Mr Ó Fearghaíl said he had 7,000 calendars printed and they had been “very well received” across his Kildare South constituency. “People are looking for more,” he said.

Meanwhile, the names of TDs and Senators who used the service to produce personalised 2015 Christmas cards were also released under FoI.

Fine Gael Minister for Finance Michael Noonan, Minister for Jobs Richard Bruton, Minister for Children James Reilly, Government Chief Whip Paul Kehoe and Minister of State Joe McHugh had festive greetings cards printed.

Fine Gael TDs Alan Shatter, Bernard Durkan, Catherine Byrne, Dan Neville, Michelle Mulherin, Noel Coonan, Pat Deering, Ray Butler, Sean Conlan, Tom Barry and Joe O’Reilly also availed of the service, along with party Senators Colm Burke, Eamonn Coghlan, Jim Darcy, Martin Conway, Michael Comiskey, Paul Coghlan and Terry Brennan.

From Labour, TDs Ruairí Quinn, Arthur Spring, Emmet Stagg, Eric Byrne, Joe Costello and Jack Wall had cards printed, along with Senators Denis Landy and John Kelly,

Independent TDs Michael Healy-Rae, Peter Mathews and Eamon Maloney and Independent Senators Rónán Mullen, David Norris and Jim Walsh also had cards printed.