Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald has said it is “not reasonable” to ask party representatives about IRA atrocities during the Troubles.
The Sinn Féin president was speaking on the Free State Podcast, hosted by former Derry GAA player and pundit Joe Brolly and journalist Dion Fanning.
The party’s campaign for the Irish elections began this week, with Sinn Féin slipping in recent polls having previously been tipped to challenge Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil at the vote.
“The media narrative and the story about Sinn Féin has evolved over the last 10, 15, 20 years,” Ms McDonald told Free State.
“I don’t think there should be a pity party by the way for Sinn Féin if we’re put to the pin of our collar, held accountable, all of that.
“The Free State establishment does have a difficulty, or reluctance, or refusal at key points in time, to move on and to actually accept that you don’t ask someone who was a baby in the 1970s about things that happened in the 1970s.
“That’s not a reasonable proposition, it wouldn’t be reasonably done with somebody from Fine Gael, Fianna Fáil or the Labour Party.
“It’s not reasonable to approach people from Sinn Féin in that way.
“We can debate history. You can talk about history, and you should. You can talk about the past, and we should.
“There is a distinction between that and holding people accountable personally for things that happened a very long time ago.
“That’s not to say that you forget about the past or the role of Republicans in it. That would be a foolish thing to do. That would be a really foolhardy thing to do.”
The Sinn Féin president added that there were “legitimate questions” for the party following recent safeguarding scandals.
“Not alone were there legitimate questions for the media, there were legitimate questions within the party which had to be asked and had to be answered.
“Personally I didn’t have any problem with that. I think the intensity of some of it, the tone of some of it was very telling.
“But here’s the bigger issue. If the public position is that transparency, accountability on governance and procedures and responses by parties to serious complaints is an issue then OK. But then that has to be applied consistently, and the problem is that it’s not.”
