Junior minister Christopher O’Sullivan deleted a message from a private Fianna Fáil WhatsApp group that praised colleague Malcolm Byrne, a government TD, shortly after Byrne was revealed to be facing drink-driving charges. The message, posted on a Sunday evening, linked to footage of Byrne from his younger days on the television show 'The Late Late Show' and stated, 'A young Malcolm Byrne rocking sideburns on the Late Late is the best thing I’ve seen this weekend. Always destined for greatness?'
The post was made after the Irish Mail on Sunday reported that a urine test at a Garda station in Dublin showed Byrne was nearly two and a half times over the legal alcohol limit. Byrne is scheduled to appear at the Criminal Court of Justice in Dublin on November 2.
Sources within the party described the reaction to O'Sullivan's message as muted, with one saying it was like a 'fart in a lift.' The message remained in the group for about an hour before O'Sullivan deleted it. Some TDs believed O'Sullivan was being insensitive given the serious allegations against Byrne, while others speculated he had not read the news reports detailing the incident.
One TD commented on the apparent lack of awareness, stating, 'Talk about clueless. I don’t think he had seen the papers on Sunday. He put it in the group on the day of the story. Malcolm was getting savaged. And it was a great story.'
Anger has been growing within the parliamentary party over Byrne's behavior. One TD expressed frustration, stating, 'He was two and a half times over the limit… come on.' Initial perceptions within the party that Byrne might have been only slightly over the limit reportedly hardened after the urine test results were disclosed, with one source emphasizing, 'There’s no world where it is acceptable; there’s no excuses.'
There has also been surprise within the party regarding the limited media coverage of the incident. When asked about potential sanctions for Mr. Byrne, Taoiseach Micheál Martin stated that the precedent has generally been for the courts to handle such matters. He added, 'Justice should take its place and due process should apply here, but it’s unacceptable in my view that anyone would be driving in any shape or form [like that].'
Some TDs have drawn comparisons between the Taoiseach's response to Byrne's case and the harsher treatment of Dara Calleary, who resigned from his Cabinet position in 2020 following the 'Golf-gate' controversy. One TD noted, 'Dara Calleary went to a dinner during Covid and lost his Cabinet seat over it.'
Neither Deputy O’Sullivan nor the Fianna Fáil press office responded to requests for comment regarding the deleted message.