The Minister for Justice must not remain silent on Fine Gael’s scurrilous attacks on the legal profession as part of its smear campaign against Catherine Connolly, according to Social Democrats TD Gary Gannon.
Deputy Gannon, who is the party’s justice spokesperson, said:
“Not only are senior Fine Gael figures – including Helen McEntee, a former Minister for Justice – attempting to besmirch the reputation of Catherine Connolly, their outrageous comments are also a nasty slight on the entire legal profession and a gross misrepresentation of how our justice system operates.
“Significantly, the Bar Council released a statement asserting it is the duty of barristers to be independent and free from any influence in the discharge of their professional duties. A number of individual barristers have also publicly criticised Fine Gael’s ill-informed line of attack.
“Clearly, Fine Gael are in now panic mode – and too busy rolling around in the mud to think critically. According to their warped logic, a criminal defence barrister would be unfit for office if they had ever argued crime was bad. When the dust settles, they are going to regret this negative campaigning.
“A desperate Fine Gael resorting to Trumpian attack videos is a new low in Irish political campaigning and shows they have nothing positive to offer the Irish people.
“As a qualified barrister, Minister for Justice Jim O’Callaghan will be well aware of the principles behind the cab-rank rule and know that it is the duty of members of his profession to accept instructions in any case in their area of practice. The Minister must now come out and publicly distance himself from Fine Gael’s slur on both Catherine Connolly and the legal profession in general.”
October 20, 2025