A Shantalla woman, whose 2016 exchange with Catherine Connolly shows the presidential candidate becoming agitated when questioned about her work as a barrister in relation to evictions, has said that “a person who won’t answer a straight question isn’t fit to be President”.
In the video (below) Ms Connolly said that claims that she was involved with banks seeking evictions were “shocking” and “a poisonous campaign” against her, and that she was “sick and tired of it”.
The charge that Ms Connolly did work for banks seeking to evict families as a result of home repossessions has become a stumbling point for the candidate, who has acknowledged that she did do work for financial institutions but has refused to clarify if that involved cases where evictions were being sought.
“In the course of my life as a barrister I took all types of work, that’s the role of a barrister. You take work from everywhere you get it and you do your best,” she said.
During the exchange, Ms Connolly accused AnnMarie Folan of shouting at her, which Ms Folan said was “untrue as is clear in the video – and was only being said because she didn’t want to answer a straight question.”
“Well, I believe we know the answer to that question now,” Ms Folan said. Ms Connolly, who had been elected as TD in Galway West, is heard in the video saying she is going to walk away after the questionning, to which Ms Folan replies, “that’s what you all do, you walk away”.
Ms Folan said that she and her husband had become friendly with community activist Ken Smollen from Offaly, well known for outreaches to people in difficulties, whom they had met initially at a meeting to do with water charges in Galway.
“Ken was going to the courthouse in Galway to support people who were being evicted, often because they had fallen behind,” she told Gript. “We met at the courthouse, and one person said they were surprised to see that Catherine Connolly was acting as barrister for the bank inside. We were astonished to hear that too. There was her bicycle outside the courthouse, we were gobsmacked, we couldn’t believe it.”
“Then, I saw Catherine Connolly on television saying how terrible it was that people were losing their homes.”
“That’s why, when I saw her at the community event for 1916 that was taking place in Shantalla, I approached her. I wanted to ask her a straight question and see what her answer was.”
“I was appalled that she started accusing me of shouting. She made herself out to be the victim in the video simply because she didn’t want to answer me. If it wasn’t true, why didn’t she just say that?” said Ms Folan.
“She said the claims were poisonous: I think it has been shown that when she doesn’t want to answer something she accuses the questioner. She kept accusing me of shouting at her, but I wasn’t,” she added.
“She was the same way about the young [Elijah] Burke lad, claiming he was shouting in Galway University when the video clearly showed he wasn’t. She sat there smiling smugly while Gardaí were brought in to get him out. And then she said on Tipp FM that he was shouting when he wasn’t. Would she like that done to one of her own children?”
“It disgusts me that she is now running for President when she behaved like that with me, refusing to answer a straight question. I felt she was being evasive – and now I feel I’ve been proved right in this Presidential campaign.”
“She was so dismissive and rude, I was asking an important question, and she showed her real character there. She only claiming I was shouting – and I wasn’t – to shut me up, to make me feel embarrassed, because she didn’t want to answer the question,” Ms Folan added.
“The President needs to be someone who answers questions honestly and respects the people.”
“The truth will always comes to light,” she said.
“So many of us feel that none of the political representatives are held accountable for anything they are doing or saying. They feel they are above reproach, that they aren’t answerable to anyone”.
The council of The Bar of Ireland defended Ms Connolly last week after she faced questions about whether she acted as a barrister for banks in repossession cases.
“It is the duty of barristers to be independent and free from any influence, especially such as may arise from their personal interests or external pressure, in the discharge of their professional duties as barristers,” it said in a statement.
“Barristers cannot discriminate in favour of or against any person availing, or seeking to avail, of the services of the barrister on the grounds of race, colour, sex, sexual orientation, language, politics, religion, nationality, national or social origin, national minority, birth or other status.”
The Connolly for President campaign have been asked for comment.
Commenting on the controversy last week, Fine Gael Cllr Frank Fahy said: “As far back as 2014, I asked then Cllr Connolly about representing the banks in the council chamber in 2014 when we were both local representatives for our homeplace.”
“Barristers work on all cases – that is their job. But Deputy Connolly should at least admit what work she did openly without having it dragged from her,” he said.