Gerry Adams
Pressure on Sinn Féin leader and local TD Gerry Adams over the Maíria Cahill controversy shows no sign of abating with the Dáil now set to debate her allegations.
Government Chief Whip Paul Kehoe said the Dáil will debate the case on 4 or 5 November.
Earlier, Taoiseach Enda Kenny met Ms Cahill for 90 minutes in Government Buildings.
He said he would facilitate “a comprehensive debate on the matter” and predicted that the allegations made by Ms Cahill would have serious consequences.
Ms Cahill claims she was raped as a teenager in 1997 by a member of the IRA and later interrogated by the organisation.
The Cahill allegations led to heated exchanges during Leaders’ Questions in the Dáil.
Mr Kenny said Ms Cahill was a courageous, confident and brave young woman who is a force to be reckoned with.
He said: “Her control was taken from her. She never ceded her own power and it’s that power and sense for truth that brought her to Government Buildings this morning.”
Mr Kenny said it was “reprehensible” that Ms Cahill “could be kicked about deliberately”.
He suggested that Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams could confirm that Ms Cahill had to meet the IRA about the matter.
Mr Kenny asked if Mr Adams was aware of any people moved to “this jurisdiction” – Donegal or Louth – who were involved in sexual abuse of women in the North and who were still in the Republic.
“You might indicate if you know anything about that because the story Maíria Cahill has to tell is not just powerful, but it will have serious consequences,” he said.
The Taoiseach said he found it unbelievable Mr Adams would come into the house of parliament and say that the person who abused Ms Cahill was a decent person.
However, Mr Adams said that he had not said that.
The Sinn Féin president this evening reiterated his rejection of allegations made against him by Mr Kenny and Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin.
“I want once again to reject in the strongest possible terms, entirely malicious and spurious allegations by the Taoiseach and the Fianna Fáil leader that I have any information regarding abusers being moved from the North, across border to this jurisdiction or anywhere else.
“If anyone – and that includes Mr Kenny or Mr Martin – have information regarding the whereabouts of anyone who is a potential threat to members of the community, they should make that information known to An Garda Síochána.”
Earlier, the Sinn Féin leader said the IRA had failed the victims of sex offenders and he wanted to apologise to those victims.
