Matters in the Seanad rarely get a look in, but the Monstering of Mullooly by incandescent Senators on Wednesday afternoon was a highlight of the week.
Five MEPs from the Midlands-North-West constituency, including former RTÉ midlands correspondent Ciaran Mullooly, attended the Upper House to address members.
Midway through the meeting, several Senators went through the Independent Ireland politician for a shortcut over statements he made about Brazilian beef being used in hot school lunches.
Where’s the proof, they demanded.
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Despite an awful lot of bumptious huffing and puffing, MEP Mullooly was unable to come up with the goods. But it didn’t stop him saying it is being used in hospitals, schools and nursing homes. Because it, er, might be.
He was berated by FG Senator Linda Nelson Murray, who has written an extensive report on the hot school lunch system. She said she never once heard mention of Brazilian beef during her research. How dare he go around “scaremongering” parents, principals and teachers with his talk, she fumed.
“Until you can come to the Upper House and prove it is, dún do bhéal!”
Longford Senator Joe Flaherty (FF) said four big companies are producing school meals in the county and their beef is locally sourced and fully traceable.
“Scaremongering has no place in the EU parliament and no place in this House,” he declared.
Another Longford Senator, Paraic Brady (FG), was also furious, describing the MEP’s claim as “detrimental” and “criminal” and “disgusting”. He joined a chorus of cross-party colleagues urging Mullooly to either issue proof of his Brazilian beef claim or withdraw it. Brady also asked him to clarify the statement he made in the European Parliament during the fuel protest over army tanks on the streets of Dublin.
“You knew that was false. Withdraw your comments in this House today ... People need to see the smoke from the trees.”
Mullooly kept contradicting himself about the provenance of the beef, at one point saying it was frozen UK beef which was consumed in this country.
Not in schools, shouted angry Senators.
It was consumed “by a family. Not in a school situation, in a family situation,” he replied.
But he also steadfastly refused to withdraw his “facts” about beef going into schools.
The former RTÉ journalist hit out at his critics in an odd manner as the meeting drew to a close. There was more than a touch of “here’s something I prepared earlier” about it.
“I will finish with these words: I’ve learned a hard lesson ... I owe apologies, I was sloppy,” he said to fellow MEP Barry Cowen, who was not buying his bluster.
“Recognise those words?” he asked Cowen.
Barry wondered if it was to do with the tanks.
Those were the words uttered by his colleague Timmy Dooley “when he managed to leave the Chamber even though six votes had been taken in his absence. Do you remember that? In terms of mistakes,” said Ciaran sanctimoniously.
Fianna Fáil Senator Fiona O’Loughlin jumped to her feet as Senators roared all round her.
“This is farcical!”
And it was.
On Friday morning, the beef row simmered up again when Meath-based Linda Nelson Murray resumed hostilities with the unrepentant MEP on LMFM’s Agenda show.
Presenter Adrian Kennedy looked for clarity.
“You don’t have any proof that Brazilian beef has been used in school meals, is that correct?”
“The evidence has been eaten,” Mullooly replied.
A great great-auntie
Happy Birthday to Alice O’Brien, who was 100 years old on Wednesday.
Her Excellency, Catherine Connolly, will be in touch in due course with a message of congratulations and the Centenarian Bounty of €2,540 – a gift from the State. But, even better than that, Alice got a special mention on the floor of the Dáil to mark her big day. It was from her proud grandnephew, Minister for Higher Education James Lawless, who begged the indulgence of the House so he could send his best wishes from the chamber.
“Had I not been performing parliamentary duties today, I would have been attending my Grand-Auntie Alice’s 100th birthday this afternoon where she is celebrating in a nursing home in Mallow with her friends and family.”
He said Alice is a proud daughter of Dunmore East in Waterford and is now resident in Cork.
The Minister was opening a debate on skills, training and innovation and he began by reflecting on the vast changes Ireland has undergone in this area over the last hundred years since great-aunt Alice’s name was recorded in the 1926 census.
The Fianna Fáil TD for Kildare North was delighted to get Alice’s name into the Dáil record and then his afternoon got even better when Sinn Féin’s Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire complimented him on his summer outfit (a light grey suit and shiny lilac paisley tie giving off 1980s Miami Vice vibes).
“I’m admiring the Minister’s suit and I recall it was tradition for a while that the summer properly started in Leinster House when Bernard Durkan broke out his cream-and-grey suit. So perhaps the Kildare TD is taking up the mantle there now and is the tribune of summer in Leinster House.”
Durkan was a Fine Gael TD in the county for more than 43 years before losing out to party colleague Naoise Ó Cearúil in 2024 at the age of 79.
“I hope to be in this House as long as him,” smiled Lawless (49½).
“Well, indeed, that would be a fine record,” said Donnchadh.
Not in the same suit, we hope.
Digging a hole
Latin phrase of the week: Saecula saeculorum.
That was Minister for Media Patrick O’Donovan explaining to tittering TDs that he won’t be plugging RTÉ’s big hole going forward.
At Wednesday’s meeting of the Smacc (Sports, Media, Arts, Culture and Communications) committee, he told Fine Gael TD Brian Brennan that the national broadcaster’s current funding model would not be renewed. One problem area was the collection of the TV licence fee, where “a huge amount of revenue” has been lost.
“There’s some very difficult questions that have to be asked with regard to the future plugging of the hole. Can the hole be plugged saecula saeculorum [forever and ever]? I don’t think so.”
Brennan said the impression he got from RTÉ’s director general Kevin Bakhurst when he appeared before them last week “was that we weren’t plugging a hole. They felt that they were looking for long-term commitment.”
Three Fianna Fáil committee members were sitting together listening to the exchange. They had already succumbed to fits of the giggles by the time the Minister started his reply.
“Well, put it this way ... when that very big hole was created ...”
The three lads struggled valiantly to keep straight faces as POD explained that if the department had not come forward with a new funding proposal, RTÉ wouldn’t have been able to continue operating as it is currently.
“So dress that up whatever way you want, but in my language, that is the plugging of a very big hole.”
We hear one of the TDs eventually had to run out outside and laugh in the lobby.
Sporting largesse
Fianna Fáil junior Minister for Sport Charlie McConalogue got a well-deserved ribbing from members of that same committee after chairman Alan Kelly stitched him up like a kipper on his brazen attempts to wring early political capital out of the hugely anticipated community sports grant scheme which comes under his remit.
AK-47 took an usually subtle approach, first building up a picture of where the Community Sports Facilities Funds (CSFF) programme stands at the moment (nowhere near ready to launch).
Over a quarter of a billion euro in grant aid went to sports clubs around the country when the last round of funding was announced two years ago. Government TDs, particularly those from the same party as the minister in charge, always seem to get a miraculous heads-up on what grants are going where in their localities before the official announcement.
But McConalogue is going one better, attending well-publicised community information meetings around the country on the currently non-existent (CSFF). Naturally, local Fianna Fáil TDs share top-table glory with him and the unspoken promise of lots of largesse coming the way of local sporting organisations thanks to their man.
Chairman Alan didn’t ask Charlie about his little roadshow. Instead, he asked his boss, Patrick O’Donovan, to outline what the state of play is with this latest round of funding.
O’Donovan very candidly filled him in.
“So, I understand this is nowhere near signed off,” said Alan.
God no. Sure they’re still waiting for the green light from the Department of Public Expenditure, said Patrick. They can do nothing until then.
“Are the details of the scheme finalised?”
“No, the details of the scheme are not finalised.”
The Minister said once the details and finances were figured out, he would then make a proposal to Government about the parameters of the scheme. It’s all very complicated, with a huge demand for grants expected.
Would you hope to get it sorted before the summer?
Well, that was the hope, shrugged Patrick, but it would be predicated on the final envelope of money. And then Government approval.
[ Taoiseach criticises Dublin local authorities over lack of sporting facilitiesOpens in new window ]
AK-47 knew exactly what he was at.
“Okay,” sez he, innocently. “And when it is finally announced, will you be doing information evenings, roadshows, stuff like that?”
Oh, absolutely. Once the regional centres are chosen by the department officials in Killarney and the new IT system is up and running properly.
After the senior Minister volunteered all the information, Kelly suddenly turned to his unsuspecting junior.
“Okay, so just some confusion, Minister McConalogue, you had an information night in my own county last night, that was just a political thing, it wasn’t official – considering the scheme isn’t concluded, it’s not signed off on. That wasn’t an official meeting like, no?”
“Oh, it’s eh, I, eh, eh, attended a meeting – very well attended one last night with Senator [sic] [Cllr] Ryan O’Mara and Senator Imelda Goldsboro. Listen, as I go across the country, Deputy Kelly, I get lots of interest obviously from the clubs in relation to – I engage, engage with clubs ...”
“I know, I appreciate that, but that’s wasn’t an official meeting, because there’s no scheme signed off on,” interjected the chair.
“No, no, no. As I said earlier on, we’re finalising that in terms of budget ...”
“Fine,” said Alan. “There’s no official details.”
And, with Charlie still spluttering, the Labour TD for Tipperary North thanked Charlie and moved on to something else.
The junior Minister had to smile when various committee members laughingly thanked him for giving their constituencies the honour of a visit, looked forward to lots of funding whenever he finds out what the scheme he has been shamelessly touting around the country is all about.
