Green Party group WhatsApp messages deleted after communications head criticises Neasa Hourigan in tweet

The Green Party is facing an internal complaint over a tweet by its new head of communications which criticised one of its sitting TDs.

The Irish Times understands that an elected representative for the party has contacted the Greens’ headquarters raising concerns over the tweet and asking that they be addressed.

On Monday evening, a tweet by Tom Molloy, the party’s head of communications, who replied to a post by RTÉ's Upfront with Katie Hannon show saying that there was “not one sensible person” on the panel for the show that aired on Monday evening.

The panel included Green Party TD for Dublin Central Neasa Hourigan, as well as Fianna Fáil Dublin North West TD Paul McAuliffe. Mr Molloy later deleted the tweet and apologised.

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The party did not respond to requests for comment on Tuesday evening on the complaint.

On Tuesday, WhatsApp messages on an internal Green Party channel were deleted and representatives told not to use the group to discuss concerns about a tweet by the party’s Director of Communications.

Screenshots seen by The Irish Times show that two messages posted in a Whatsapp group for the party’s elected representatives, understood to be raising concern about the tweet, were deleted by the party’s Limerick City TD Brian Leddin. The messages were posted by Councillor Lourda Scott, from Greystones, and Oisin O’Connor, who represents Glencullen-Sandyford.

The group was then locked, with only administrators able to post messages. The group has since been reopened, with Mr Leddin sending a message which read:

“Understand there’s upset among members owing to a public comment made by an employee at HQ. I’m conscious, however, that it is an employment matter and that comments on this forum may lead to future difficulty. As such, after discussion with Francis [Noel Duffy, the party’s Dublin South West TD], I took the decision to delete some comments and close this forum briefly. Happy to reopen now but ask that we refrain from discussing the matter here.”

The Green Party said in a statement to The Irish Times: “Tom accidentally tweeted a message which he had meant to text a friend. He apologises to Neasa as he never intended for the message to be read publicly.”

Ms Hourigan was also joined on the panel by Sinn Féin TD for Dublin Mid West Eoin Ó Broin and former Housing Agency chair Conor Skehan.

Mr Molloy is a former business journalist with The Irish Independent and also worked as head of communications for Trinity College Dublin.

There has been significant controversy behind the scenes following the tweet, with many party members privately very critical. One Green Party source told The Irish Times that “the people who speak up are being shunted to one side and the rest of them are burying their heads in the sand”.