Irish Presidential Candidates Clash Again

The Irish Republic's Presidential candidates clashed again last night in the second TV debate, which was aired on TV3.

Martin McGuinness came under fire from fellow candidate Gay Mitchell, once again for his connection to the IRA, while the debate’s host Vincent Browne also attacked the Sinn Fein candidate.

Mr. Mitchell attacked McGuinness over his membership to the IRA while Mr. Browne produced books that he alleged could prove that Mr. McGuinness was a member of the IRA long after 1974.

"I'm not ashamed of anything I have done," McGuinness said after the debate. "I joined the IRA when I was very young. The people of Derry were being beaten off the streets. They were being shot off the streets by the British Army…What was I to do?We fought back. Am I ashamed of that? Not on your nelly."

Mr Mitchell said: "I ask questions about Martin McGuinness because Martin has raised these questions himself. I'm talking about issues he's raising now. These are legitimate questions to raise."

Each of the candidates faced questioning from Mr. Browne.

Senator David Norris came under pressure to reveal who had advised him not to publish his clemency letters. Letters wrote on behalf of his former lover who had been convicted of statutory rape of a 15-year-old boy.

Dana Rosemary Scallon said that she took "no notice" of opinion polls, which have placed her last in the race.

"I have never been anywhere but the bottom of the opinion polls since I ran in 1997, but the voting has always been different to that…I think if I was high up in the polls, I'd be more worried," she said.

Independent candidate Mary Davis denied any conflict of interest after a PR company her husband is a director of won a contract from the charity Social Entrepreneurs, which they were both members of.

"There was absolutely no conflict of interest whatsoever. I never sat in when there was discussion around (public relations) contracts," she said.

Labour’s Presidential candidate Michael D Higgins, who as one of the shortest candidates was standing on a box throughout the debate, said he may be the one of the shortest candidates in this race, but is still a frontrunner.

He said the candidates had "made a beginning" in addressing the key issues of the campaign.

Sean Gallagher agreed, and said the candidates had had "the first half of the debate, about getting from the past to the present". He said he now wished to move on to the future, and in particular tackling the jobs crisis.

Davis Calls For Transparency

Meanwhile this morning presidential hopeful Mary Davis has made another call for 'transparency'. She has asked Senator Norris to explain a disability payment he received for 16 years.

The Irish Independent claims Mr Norris took the payment while out of work as a Trinity College lecturer but working as a Senator.

Davis said: "It's up to David Norris to explain that one…It's important for everyone to be transparent."

David Norris has defended taking tens of thousands of euro in disability payments from Trinity College for 16 years while a Senator.

The Presidential candidate said he was told to take the payment by Trinity after contracting Hepatitis "from water" while in Central Europe, and told he could not work there again.

At his official campaign launch this morning, he has revealed the payment is currently around €2,500 a month.

Six of the seven candidates are speaking at an event organised by the charity sector in Dublin this morning.

(LB/BMcC)