Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin and Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald took part in a televised election debate on RTÉ's Prime Time on Tuesday night.
During the course of the debate, moderator Miriam O'Callaghan brought up the murder of Paul Quinn, the 21-year-old from Cullyhanna, Co Armagh, who was killed on October 20th 2007. The presenter asked Ms McDonald about comments made by Sinn Féin's minister for finance in Northern Ireland, Conor Murphy, regarding Mr Quinn.
The following is the full exchange between O’Callaghan and Ms McDonald:
Miriam O'Callaghan (MO'C): Mary Lou McDonald you know of course about Breege Quinn, the mother of Paul Quinn, the 21-year-old who was so horrifically beaten to death in November 2007. She is asking for an apology from your minister for finance in the North, Conor Murphy, because he aligned her son to criminality. You were due to speak to minister Murphy today — did you speak to him to clarify?
Mary Lou McDonald (MM): I did Miriam, and you're right. Paul Quinn got a horrific death and the only criminals, to be clear, involved in this scenario were the people who so cruelly and viciously took his life. I have spoken to Conor. He is aware that the comments he made after the murder of Paul Quinn have caused hurt and that hurt has endured. So he apologises for those remarks. He withdraws those remarks and he'll speak to Breege Quinn and the family directly. I've had the view that he needs to speak to the family directly.
MO'C : I was watching you last night being interviewed by Bryan Dobson and you said then, and this is a quote from you: "I have spoken to Conor Murphy about this issue before. He is very clear that he never said that, that that is not his view."
MM: Yes.
MO'C: So you've changed your position?
MM: In a way, Miriam, what matters is what the family have heard and what matters is that the family . . .
MO'C: What matters is what he said, because, actually, we found the quote today. It was on the BBC in November 2007, a month after Paul was murdered, and what minister Murphy said and I'll quote him again verbatim on the BBC: "Paul Quinn was involved in smuggling and criminality. I think everyone accepts that. As I say, this is a very difficult situation as there is a family grieving and I don't want to add to their grief."
MM: So, look, let me just say those things should not have been said. Those things should not have been said. Conor withdraws them and apologises . . .
MO'C: But last night you said they weren't said.
MM: Pardon me?
MO'C: Last night you said they weren't said.
MM: To be honest with you Miriam, my recollection was that he had not been as explicit as that. The remarks were wrong. They are withdrawn, correctly, and will be apologised for directly to Mrs Quinn and to her family . . .
MO'C: So your remarks to Bryan last night were wrong too?
MM: Yes. Well, obviously I was not . . . I remembered Conor being not quite as direct on this matter.
MO'C: But he had told you that he is very clear, you said, that he never said that and that is not his view. He had told you he had never said that. Were you annoyed that he had said that?
MM: That's not it. My sole concern in this is that the family have been hurt and the remarks made need to be withdrawn and apologised for — that's the correct thing to do and that's what Conor will do.
MO'C: So Conor Murphy is going to apologise to Breege Quinn?
MM: Absolutely. It is the correct and decent thing to do. A family that has lost their son in such brutal circumstances doesn't need the additional hurt and grief of those remarks.
MO'C: And, finally, I heard Breege Quinn on Drivetime, actually, talking to Mary Wilson and she also just said that she would like minister Murphy to go to the PSNI or the gardaí and just give the names of the men, the IRA men in Cullyhanna he spoke to. Would he do that as well do you think because Breege Quinn wants that?
MM: What I am sure of, and I'm sure of these facts having spoken again to Conor, is that he has in fact spoken to the PSNI and to the gardaí. They have to investigate this matter. People with information need to bring it to . . .
MO'C: And given the names of the men he spoke to?
MM: . . . need to bring that information forward.
