Party backs Gerry Adams over Maíria Cahill allegations

Sinn Féin's finance spokesman, Pearse Doherty, said he knew Maíria Cahill and believed she had been abused but rejected her allegation that the party had covered up child abuse.

The Donegal South West TD said Sinn Féin’s position was clear and that anyone with any information on child abuse should bring it to the authorities without delay.

“There is no cover-up in Sinn Féin. Those allegations are simply not true. There is no dossier that Sinn Féin has of Republicans that abused people,” he said.

Mr Doherty told RTÉ's The Week in Politics programme he did not believe the accusations Ms Cahill had levelled at Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams were true.

She has alleged Mr Adams told her abusers could be so manipulative that the people being abused actually enjoyed the abuse, which he has strongly denied.

On her claim that she had to face her alleged assailant in a republican-style court, Mr Doherty said: “If this happened it was absolutely wrong, it was appalling and it shouldn’t have happened.”

‘A most serious allegation

’ The party’s deputy leader, Mary Lou McDonald, also said at the weekend that she believed Ms Cahill had been abused, but described her allegations that members of Sinn Féin covered up child abuse as “completely wrong”.

"That's a most serious allegation. It's also completely wrong," she told RTÉ's This Week programme.

Ms Cahill tweeted during the programme to claim recordings existed “in relation to those IRA meetings in those flats”.

Sinn Féin Senator David Cullinane said he believed Ms Cahill had been abused. "Of course I believe her, but the issue has been dealt with through the courts and we all have to be very careful in terms of how we deal with that."

The party’s justice spokesman, Pádraig MacLochlainn, said: “The key issue for me, and something that’s been missed in all this, is that there have actually been court proceedings taken.”

‘Very tragic’

Mr MacLochlainn said he believed Ms Cahill had been a victim of abuse.

“I think it’s very, very tragic that it wasn’t brought to the attention of the authorities at that time,” he said.

He said that if there were other victims of abuse, they should come forward. “If somebody has covered up these sorts of issues or advised people to stay silent, they should pay the price.”

Anybody with information should give it to the authorities, he added. He said he had known Mr Adams for a long time. “He believes people should speak up for their rights. I don’t believe for a moment the words that were being attributed to him, no.”

Aengus Ó Snodaigh, Dublin South Central TD, also said he did not believe that aspect of Ms Cahill’s statements. “The knowledge I have and the dealings I’ve had with him [Mr Adams], that would not be something that he would say.”

On the topic of the republican-style court, Mr Ó Snodaigh said he had no knowledge of such things in Belfast or anywhere else.