Woman working for Catherine Connolly 'wore wig' during Offaly gun shop raid

THE former Eirigi member given a job in the Dail by presidential candidate Catherine Connolly wore a wig during a raid on a gun shop in Offaly, a trial in 2014 was told.

Ursula Ní Shionnáin (Shannon) was sentenced to six years in prison after the non-jury Special Criminal Court found her guilty of possession of two handguns and 32 rounds of ammunition at The Tackle Shop, Tullybeg, Rahan on November 27, 2012.

Ms Ní Shionnáin , a graduate of Trinity College Dublin, had pleaded not guilty to the charge, along with co-accused John McGreal and Colin Brady.

Court reports from the trial at the time said the trial heard evidence the accused were wearing wigs and disguises when intercepted by armed gardaí outside the premises of a firearms dealer.

Another man, John Troy, admitted possession of weapons.

The trial heard gardaí were in receipt of confidential information that a stolen vehicle would be used as part of an operation by dissident republicans for a theft at a property in Co Offaly.

Armed gardaí surrounded a stolen van in which the accused were travelling outside the Offaly residential premises which also doubled as a business for a licensed firearm seller.

Detective Inspector Michael Gibbons told the court that one of the handguns recovered, a Brazilian-made Taurus pistol, was used in a murder in Tallaght in February 2002. He said there was no suggestion that any of the defendants were involved in that offence.

There was also evidence that the ammunition recovered was wrapped up in a baby’s nappy found inside the stolen van in which the defendants were travelling.

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The court heard that the search of the vehicle two handguns and a stun gun along with the ammunition, cable ties, black pillow cases, canisters of petrol, wigs and disguises.

Gardai gave evidence that the accused had taken some steps to conceal their physical appearance, and were wearing layers of clothing to make them appear heavier than they actually were. There was evidence that Ms Shannon (the surname used during the trial) and Mr McGreal were wearing wigs.

The trial heard Ms Ni Shionnain had a BA in Early and Modern Irish from Trinity College and a Masters in Language Planning from NUI Galway.

At the time she was sentenced she was researching sustainable new Irish language communities for a PhD.

The Journal reported last week that Independent presidential candidate Catherine Connolly hired Ms Ní Shionnáin in 2019 as an administrative assistant in Leinster House.

Ms Ní Shionnáin had been released from prison the previous year and worked in the Oireachtas on a committee on the Irish language.

Deputy Connolly, whose candidacy is being supported by the Social Democrats, Labour, Sinn Fein and left representatives, defended her recruitment of the woman.

She said: “I absolutely admire this person. This person was one of the small success stories of the prison system, full rehabilitation, a change in her life completely.”

It emerged that Ms Ní Shionnáin had been a member of Eirigi, a political party which has been described as republican socialist and opposed to the Good Friday Agreement.

In a statement last week, Eirigi did not refer to the woman but said: “Not one journalist or media outlet appears to have done their job - to have taken the time to do the most basic of research - to find out what Éirígí's position on armed struggle actually is.”

The statement added: “If they did, they would know that Éirígí was formed to provide a left-wing republican alternative to the dead-end electoralism offered by Sinn Féin and the dead-end militarism offered by armed groups. Éirígí formed to provide a third way for republicans to drive positive change in Ireland.”

In a live television debate on RTE’s The Week in Politics on Sunday Deputy Connolly was challenged about the manner in which Ms Ní Shionnáin gained access to Leinster House while working there.

Fine Gael candidate Heather Humphreys said: “Not many people go in front of the Special Criminal Court. But the point here is, we all know that when you bring staff into the Houses of the Oireachtas, you must have garda clearance.”

The former TD and minister added: “What I’m saying is there are rules around staff there. I’d like to know when did Catherine start bringing that person in? I believe she was there for six months without garda vetting. It normally takes two to three weeks to process the garda vetting.”

Deputy Connolly said no rules had been broken: “The person filled out her application form, made a full and wholesome declaration and the process took place. There was no appeal, no decision made.”

Deputy Connolly organised passes for the woman to enter Leinster House and Ms Ní Shionnáin's employment ended there before the vetting process was completed.