Daly says she drank 'hot whiskey' before drink-driving arrest

Independent TD Clare Daly confirmed she drank a “hot whiskey” before she was arrested on Monday night after performing an illegal turn on a south Dublin road.

The Dublin North deputy said she had been driving in an area of the capital she was unfamiliar with. She was pulled in by gardaí and breathalysed, before being brought to Kilmainham Garda station.

“I had been with family and been given a hot whiskey for a cold. If that brought me over the limit well then that’s obviously a very serious mistake on my part and one which I take full responsibility for,” Ms Daly said.

Results of a sample she gave at the station are awaited. She told RTÉ she was a little surprised that information had been “released” without charges having been brought or confirmation obtained that she was over the limit.

Ms Daly played a prominent role in a recent campaign for a public inquiry into allegations of corruption in the removal of penalty points from driving licences. She left the Socialist Party last September primarily due to disputes over her close political relationship with Mick Wallace after it emerged the developer and Independent TD for Wexford had made false VAT returns.

Drivers suspected by gardaí of having been drinking can be asked to do a roadside breathalyser test. If the driver fails, they are arrested and brought to a Garda station.