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Gallagher accuses Martin McGuinness of ‘ambush and a hatchet job’

Independent candidate says he won’t let Sinn Fein ‘take him out’

CATHAL DERVAN,

IrishCentral Staff Writer

Published Tuesday, October 25, 2011, 9:11 AM

Updated Tuesday, October 25, 2011, 9:26 PM

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Sean Gallagher

Photo by Google Images

Live coverage of the Irish presidential election on IrishCentral - Friday, October 28th

Presidential election candidate Sean Gallagher has come out fighting – and accused Sinn Fein of ‘ambush’ and ‘a hatchet job’ after they exposed his links to a convicted criminal’s donation to Fianna Fail.

Reacting to the drop in support for his candidature after Monday night’s latest revelations on live TV about his Fianna Fail connections, Gallagher has turned his sights on Martin McGuinness.

It was McGuinness who outlined how Gallagher helped deliver a near $8,000 check from convicted fuel smuggler Hugh Morgan to the Fianna Fail organisation at a time of a 2008 fundraiser in Dundalk attended by the then party leader and Irish PM Brian Cowen.

Support for Gallagher has fallen since he admitted to involvement in the fund raising dinner and Morgan’s donation but the independent candidate hit back with an attack on McGuinness on Tuesday, after pledging not to comment on any other candidate’s campaign.

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Speaking on Irish radio, Gallagher was scathing in his criticism of Sinn Fein’s tactics in the TV debate.

He went so far as to claim he had been singled out by the Republican party after calling on McGuinness to come forward with any information relating to the IRA murder of policeman Jerry McCabe in Limerick in the 1990s.

“My view will not be diverted by tactics such as political assassination by Martin McGuinness or anyone else in Sinn Fein,” said Gallagher.

“It was an ambush, they are well used to that. It is obvious to me that Mr Morgan ( Hugh Morgan, the businessman) loaded the gun and Mr McGuinness pulled the trigger.

“I stumbled last night because I was unsure but that was because I've told my workers that I don't want a lie told from my side in this campaign. I wasn't sure. It's very feasible that if I delivered the photo to his premises that he gave me an envelope.”

“I was aware of this potential problem from last week when a journalist approached me but when he found out that the businessman was a criminal, the newspaper decided not to run the story.

“I was a member of Fianna Fail and I am not ashamed of that. That was a legal fund-raising event I was at, not like some of the Sinn Fein events.

“I accept that my memory of what happened is hazy but I have no intention of allowing Martin McGuinness or Sinn Fein take me out.

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DanOLoingsigh | Oct 26, 2011, 01:24 PM EDT

McGuinness explains when its OK to kill member of Irish Army or Garda - 'Except in circumstances, like in Ballinamore, where IRA volunteers felt they were going to be shot dead and were defending themselves against armed Gardaí and soldiers'. Bribery or murder, that is the question?

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pilib04 | Oct 26, 2011, 11:54 AM EDT

Hatchet job? What a pompous axx! RTE, almost all of the so-called newspapers in the Republic, Gallagher, Higgins and the Blue Shirt, have all taken the hatchet to Martin McGuinness for the past month. How dare that guttersnipe accuse McGuinness when it was he who committed passed on the bribe. Interesting that the Belfast Telegraph did not get involved in the hatchet job and instead actually gave the very best of coverage. But that is what is expected in Northern Ireland.

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pilib04 | Oct 26, 2011, 11:49 AM EDT

A day before the news blackout for the election and finally the candidate of the gombeen men says YES I WAS A MEMBER OF FIANNA FAIL (and presumably a vote for Gallagher is a vote for the failed polices of the Soldiers of Destiny! How convenient.

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MarkRichey | Oct 26, 2011, 10:24 AM EDT

Gallagher's just a foil for Fianna Fail. His petty tit-for-tat slagging with MdGuinness is just plain juvenile. Haughey had more mistresses and more hair. I hope McGuinness wins.

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gobdawpaddy | Oct 26, 2011, 06:53 AM EDT

We learned this morning that it was a picture of Morgan with BIFFO. They must have seen you coming Morgan, EUR 5,OOO, no wonder you got caught for fuel smuggling.

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Fintanoflaois | Oct 26, 2011, 02:40 AM EDT

If an "ambush" was prepared, Gallagher walked right into it, which calls into question his suitability to be our head of state. Ireland has some of the best politicians that money can buy, and now we know he is very much one of that band of sleazy creeps.

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gobdawpaddy | Oct 26, 2011, 01:35 AM EDT

What was in the envelope that it was worth EUR 5.000 to 'de party'?

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barneyjo | Oct 25, 2011, 07:11 PM EDT

I didnt watch the debate live on Monday night; rather I viewed the relevant exchange on Youtube. The only hatchet job that was done in my view, was by Sean Gallagher, on himself, in the way that he took and responded to the question from McGuinness. I think he will have learned a hard lesson in that the best thing to do when in a hole is to stop digging; he didnt, and unless the Irish electorate are totally blind, they will at least look again at Sean Gallaghers credentials and his suitability to hold the office of President. I tend to agree that Michael D Higgins will be the beneficiary of Gallagher's discomfort and will put him on as near even terms as possible going in to Friday's poll. McGuinness wont win; I think he will score high if not top the poll for first preference votes, but ultimately this will be decided by transfers, which should favour Michael D Higgins. And even if Gallagher does shade it, he will be a lame duck from the get go because of the questions hanging over him. We shall see!!!

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sirpeter | Oct 25, 2011, 06:54 PM EDT

Dano I was only going by what Sean Gallagher said.First he said there wasn't a cheque and then he said there might have been a brown envelope.That to me was an admission.I think at this stage we all know there was alot of backhanders happening in FF and probely the rest of them as well were at it.That crowd up in Dublin has brought the country to it's knees and that's a fact.I can't see any reason for anyone to defend them.That includes FG AND Labour to a lesser degree.The Irish people have been robbed of BILLIONS upon BILLIONS and that's a hell of alot more than the PIRA ever robbed.Sinn Fein are doing a good job with the Unionists and that has to stand for something.The PIRA are gone along time and we know for sure they didn't rob us of Billions.How many people will die because they are to long on waiting lists.A hell of alot more people will die because of lack of funding to the health system just as surely as a bullet to the back of the head.But where is the outrage to that?I won't be on any waiting list Dano because money talks.But plenty people are in a bad way and I can't see Sinn Fein shafting their own voters.Crooks and Villians!! Dano Crooks and Villians!!

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thesavageirish | Oct 25, 2011, 05:58 PM EDT

@DublinCitizen So no calls requesting a donation three weeks before the fundraiser. No followup call for donation three days later.No promises of audience with the Taoiseach or promises of a photograph. No visit to the mans business premises to pick up a cheque three days before the event. No record of cheque clearing in the donors bank on the day of the event. Fair enough. You"re a dublin citizen so you must know exactly what happened. I wish he'd called me out of the blue to have my picture taken. While you"re at it, watch your feet. Some of those messengers are very rubbery and it ricochets right off em.

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Fintanoflaois | Oct 25, 2011, 03:53 PM EDT

@DublinCitizen: "The Irish Security forces have plenty of evidence MGuinness sand Adams during their time in the IRA and the Army Council and when they left." Plenty of evidence? Then why have they never presented it? I bet you have plenty of evidence that Elvis is still alive and being kept in the same secure facility as the aliens from Roswell --- And it's probably a lot less credible than the evidence you believe the Irish security forces have.

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DanOLoingsigh | Oct 25, 2011, 02:46 PM EDT

Sirpete - 'There will be alot less brown envolopes flying around with Sinn Fein looking over their shoulder' Your dead right, SF have a much more direct and effective method of fundraising, no brown eenvelopes for those boys, eh?

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DublinCitizen | Oct 25, 2011, 01:52 PM EDT

The Irish Security forces have plenty of evidence MGuinness sand Adams during their time in the IRA and the Army Council and when they left.

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DublinCitizen | Oct 25, 2011, 01:48 PM EDT

Cathal,Sean Gallagher has just made a statement on Irish TV re Hugh Morgan and the cheque. MORGAN NEVER MET GALLAGHER BEFORE the dinner and the cheque was sent to Fianna Fail by Morgan before the dinner took place, Gallagher delivered the photo from the dinner and did not receive anything back. This has been confirmed by the party and the bank. McGuinness now says he may have "GOT THINGS SLIGHTLY WRONG". Since Morgan is a convicted fuel launderer (something which the IRA is familiar with) and since he is a friend friend of Gerry Adams to whom he rented premises during Adams attempt to give the impression he WOULD in the Republic, I think we can assume it was "dirty tricks" by Sinn Fein to smear Sean Gallagher becuase he called for Sinn Fein to come clean about the murder of Jean McConville whose family said today McGuinness is not fit for the Presidency. GALLAGHER IS STILL IN THE LEAD. which may be another reason for the accusation. Gerry Adams shifty behaviour behind McGuinness today as he kept changing the story says it all.

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sirpeter | Oct 25, 2011, 12:21 PM EDT

Gallagher was caught out simply as that.McGuinness gave him a chance to come clean and he was caught lieing and admitted it in the end.This is the kind of corruption that needs to be exposed in the government and Sinn Fein are no better boys to expose it.Say what ye want about McGuinness.Other than the fact he was in the PIRA there is no evidence to attach him to anything else.That makes him innocent unless ye can prove him guilty.There will be alot less brown envolopes flying around with Sinn Fein looking over their shoulder.McGuinness is only down south for 5 mins and already he caught one on national television for us all to see.And the difference is he had the evidence to back it up unlike the sheeple beliveing the hearsay and don't have a clue what McGuinness did or did not do.We now know for sure Gallagher needs to go to confession not McGuinness.

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