Willie O'Dea Affidavit Incident
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The Willie O'Dea affidavit incident or Brothelgate was a 2010 political controversy in Ireland involving Minister for Defence
Willie O'Dea William Gerard O'Dea ( ; born 1 November 1952) is an Irish Fianna Fáil politician who has been a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Limerick City constituency since 2011, and previously from 1982 to 2011 for the Limerick East constituency. He has ser ...
.
Enda Kenny Enda Kenny (born 24 April 1951) is an Irish former Fine Gael politician who served as Taoiseach from 2011 to 2017, Leader of Fine Gael from 2002 to 2017, Minister for Defence (Ireland), Minister for Defence from May to July 2014 and 2016 to 201 ...
, leader of main opposition party
Fine Gael Fine Gael ( ; ; ) is a centre-right, liberal-conservative, Christian democratic political party in Ireland. Fine Gael is currently the third-largest party in the Republic of Ireland in terms of members of Dáil Éireann. The party had a member ...
, accused O'Dea of having committed
perjury Perjury (also known as forswearing) is the intentional act of swearing a false oath or falsifying an affirmation to tell the truth, whether spoken or in writing, concerning matters material to an official proceeding."Perjury The act or an insta ...
after it emerged remarks which he had sworn under an
affidavit An ( ; Medieval Latin for "he has declared under oath") is a written statement voluntarily made by an ''affiant'' or ''deposition (law), deponent'' under an oath or affirmation which is administered by a person who is authorized to do so by la ...
not to have said had in fact been said. The remarks related to the alleged connection between a
brothel A brothel, strumpet house, bordello, bawdy house, ranch, house of ill repute, house of ill fame, or whorehouse is a place where people engage in Human sexual activity, sexual activity with prostitutes. For legal or cultural reasons, establis ...
and
Sinn Féin Sinn Féin ( ; ; ) is an Irish republican and democratic socialist political party active in both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. The History of Sinn Féin, original Sinn Féin organisation was founded in 1905 by Arthur Griffit ...
politician
Maurice Quinlivan Maurice Quinlivan (born 1967/1968) is an Irish Sinn Féin politician who has been a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Limerick City constituency since the 2016 general election. He was appointed Chair of the Committee on Enterprise, Trade and Employ ...
. These allegations were later proven to be untrue. O'Dea and Quinlivan had settled High Court damages over the incident in December 2009. However, increasing parliamentary pressure in February 2010 propelled the affair back into the spotlight. O'Dea resigned as Minister for Defence on 18 February 2010, with
Taoiseach The Taoiseach (, ) is the head of government or prime minister of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The office is appointed by the President of Ireland upon nomination by Dáil Éireann (the lower house of the Oireachtas, Ireland's national legisl ...
Brian Cowen Brian Bernard Cowen (born 10 January 1960) is an Irish former politician who served as Taoiseach and Leader of Fianna Fáil from 2008 to 2011. Cowen served as a TD for the constituency of Laois–Offaly from 1984 to 2011 and served in several ...
assigning himself temporary responsibility for the Department of Defence. Stephen Collins, writing in ''
The Irish Times ''The Irish Times'' is an Irish daily broadsheet newspaper and online digital publication. It was launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Ruadhán Mac Cormaic. It is published every day except Sundays. ''The Irish Times'' is Ireland's leading n ...
'', suggested "Relations between the Coalition partners ianna Fáil and the Green Partymay never be the same again after the resignation of Willie O'Dea". According to the ''
Evening Herald ''The Herald'' is a nationwide mid-market tabloid newspaper headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, and published by Independent News & Media who are a subsidiary of Mediahuis. It is published Monday–Saturday. The newspaper was known as the ''Ev ...
'', the departure of O'Dea was "the first major casualty of the coalition government". The same newspaper noted that the resignation of O'Dea was the third in two "absolutely calamitous" weeks, following the unexpected departures of George Lee and Déirdre de Búrca from Fine Gael and the Green Party respectively.


Background and defamation controversy

On 12 January 2009, three Brazilian women were arrested in an apartment in
Limerick Limerick ( ; ) is a city in western Ireland, in County Limerick. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and is in the Mid-West Region, Ireland, Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. W ...
city. They were charged the following day with brothel-keeping. The three received suspended sentences of six months each and were ordered to leave Limerick city within three days. The apartment had been rented out to them by Nessan Quinlivan, a former
Provisional IRA The Provisional Irish Republican Army (Provisional IRA), officially known as the Irish Republican Army (IRA; ) and informally known as the Provos, was an Irish republican paramilitary force that sought to end British rule in Northern Ireland ...
volunteer and the brother of
Sinn Féin Sinn Féin ( ; ; ) is an Irish republican and democratic socialist political party active in both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. The History of Sinn Féin, original Sinn Féin organisation was founded in 1905 by Arthur Griffit ...
candidate for Limerick City Council
Maurice Quinlivan Maurice Quinlivan (born 1967/1968) is an Irish Sinn Féin politician who has been a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Limerick City constituency since the 2016 general election. He was appointed Chair of the Committee on Enterprise, Trade and Employ ...
. During the court hearing there was no mention of Quinlivan being the landlord and there was no suggestion that he knew a brothel was being kept at the apartment. The
Garda Síochána (; meaning "the Guardian(s) of the Peace") is the national police and security service of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is more commonly referred to as the Gardaí (; "Guardians") or "the Guards". The service is headed by the Garda Commissio ...
stated in the court hearing that the women were "pawns" of a larger operation. The controversy leading to O'Dea's resignation as Minister for Defence centred on remarks he made concerning Maurice Quinlivan to ''
Limerick Leader The ''Limerick Leader'' is a weekly local newspaper in Limerick, Ireland. It was founded in 1889. The newspaper is headquartered on Glentworth Street in the City. The broadsheet paper currently is distributed in three editions, City, County an ...
'' journalist Mike Dwane in 2009 in the run up to the local elections of that year. During the interview, O'Dea made references to the brothel that had operated in the apartment owned by Nessan Quinlivan One of the most damaging of these was, "I suppose I'm going a bit too far when I say this but I'd like to ask Mr Quinlivan is the brothel still closed?" The interview was published on 10 March 2009. Dwane recorded the interview. O'Dea swore under oath an
affidavit An ( ; Medieval Latin for "he has declared under oath") is a written statement voluntarily made by an ''affiant'' or ''deposition (law), deponent'' under an oath or affirmation which is administered by a person who is authorized to do so by la ...
that he had not made this remark. He later retracted this denial after a tape recording of the interview emerged. Damages were paid to Quinlivan by O'Dea following a High Court defamation challenge by Maurice Quinlivan in December 2009. O'Dea apologised for the remarks in court on 21 December.


Events surrounding resignation

In February 2010, there were increased efforts by politicians to explain his behaviour.
Fine Gael Fine Gael ( ; ; ) is a centre-right, liberal-conservative, Christian democratic political party in Ireland. Fine Gael is currently the third-largest party in the Republic of Ireland in terms of members of Dáil Éireann. The party had a member ...
Senator Eugene Regan brought the matter to the attention of the
Oireachtas The Oireachtas ( ; ), sometimes referred to as Oireachtas Éireann, is the Bicameralism, bicameral parliament of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The Oireachtas consists of the president of Ireland and the two houses of the Oireachtas (): a house ...
and stated that O'Dea ought to resign from office. On 15 February 2010, Labour Party TD
Jan O'Sullivan Jan O'Sullivan (; born 6 December 1950) is an Irish former Labour Party politician who served as Minister for Education and Skills from 2014 to 2016 and as a Minister of State from 2011 to 2014. She served as a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Lime ...
asked that he explain himself as the Minister's Sunday newspaper column indicated he was aware that the interview was being recorded. When O'Dea protested on 16 February that he had erred unintentionally Labour Party TD
Pat Rabbitte Pat Rabbitte (born 18 May 1949) is an Irish former Labour Party politician who served as Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources from 2011 to 2014, Leader of the Labour Party from 2002 to 2007 and a Minister of State from 19 ...
said he had "a cheek" to blame forgetfulness. Later that day Fine Gael leader
Enda Kenny Enda Kenny (born 24 April 1951) is an Irish former Fine Gael politician who served as Taoiseach from 2011 to 2017, Leader of Fine Gael from 2002 to 2017, Minister for Defence (Ireland), Minister for Defence from May to July 2014 and 2016 to 201 ...
announced he would table a
motion of no confidence A motion or vote of no confidence (or the inverse, a motion or vote of confidence) is a motion and corresponding vote thereon in a deliberative assembly (usually a legislative body) as to whether an officer (typically an executive) is deemed fi ...
in O'Dea, to be debated in
Dáil Éireann Dáil Éireann ( ; , ) is the lower house and principal chamber of the Oireachtas, which also includes the president of Ireland and a senate called Seanad Éireann.Article 15.1.2° of the Constitution of Ireland reads: "The Oireachtas shall co ...
. The motion was debated on the afternoon of 17 February, with O'Dea passing by 80 votes for and 69 votes against. Fianna Fáil's partners in coalition, the
Green Party A green party is a formally organized political party based on the principles of green politics, such as environmentalism and social justice. Green party platforms typically embrace Social democracy, social democratic economic policies and fo ...
, supported O'Dea at this point.
Vincent Browne Vincent Browne (born 17 July 1944) is an Irish people, Irish print and broadcast journalist. He is a columnist with ''The Irish Times'' and ''The Sunday Business Post'' and a non-practising barrister. From 1996 until 2007, he presented a night ...
, writing in that day's edition of ''
The Irish Times ''The Irish Times'' is an Irish daily broadsheet newspaper and online digital publication. It was launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Ruadhán Mac Cormaic. It is published every day except Sundays. ''The Irish Times'' is Ireland's leading n ...
'', predicted that O'Dea had "nothing to fear" as "Green Party compliance has allowed Fianna Fáil to get away with doing whatever it likes". However, Green Party chairman Dan Boyle used Facebook and Twitter to express his lack of confidence in O'Dea, saying the man was "compromised" and that he ought to resign. "The treacherous tweet" was one term for what Boyle had done. RTÉ described Boyle's act as "deliberate", suggesting that "its significance could grow were there to be further revelations about the affidavit affair". It was the first indication that the Green Party were not fully supporting O'Dea. By the end of the week it was being seen as central to the outcome of events. The following morning, a series of what were described as "rowdy exchanges" took place in Dáil Éireann, forcing it to be suspended for a period. Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny accused O'Dea of having committed perjury, a comment he would not withdraw despite
Tánaiste The Tánaiste ( , ) is the second-ranking member of the government of Ireland and the holder of its second-most senior office. It is the equivalent of the deputy prime minister in other parliamentary systems. The Tánaiste is appointed by the P ...
Mary Coughlan's insistence. Meanwhile, Green Party member Gary Fitzgerald, a former unsuccessful local election candidate, complained to the
Garda Síochána (; meaning "the Guardian(s) of the Peace") is the national police and security service of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is more commonly referred to as the Gardaí (; "Guardians") or "the Guards". The service is headed by the Garda Commissio ...
's Bridewell station staff about O'Dea's conduct. An audio recording of the interview emerged in public for the first time and was broadcast repeatedly on national radio. That afternoon O'Dea denied he had committed perjury in a live radio interview with Sean O'Rourke on ''
RTÉ News at One ''RTÉ News at One'' is a news and current affairs programme broadcast on RTÉ Radio 1. It airs Monday to Friday for 45 minutes at 1:00pm. The programme was presented by Bryan Dobson until his retirement on 3 May 2024. Rachael English was ann ...
'', saying that he had made "a stupid, silly mistake". He was among several TDs who failed to turn up for a parliamentary vote on a finance bill which the government only narrowly won by the casting vote of the
Ceann Comhairle The (; "Head of heCouncil"; plural usually ) is the chairperson (or speaker) of , the lower house of the (parliament) of Ireland. The person who holds the position is elected by members of the from among their number in the first session ...
, the first time in almost twenty years that this was needed. O'Dea resigned as Minister for Defence that evening.
Taoiseach The Taoiseach (, ) is the head of government or prime minister of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The office is appointed by the President of Ireland upon nomination by Dáil Éireann (the lower house of the Oireachtas, Ireland's national legisl ...
Brian Cowen Brian Bernard Cowen (born 10 January 1960) is an Irish former politician who served as Taoiseach and Leader of Fianna Fáil from 2008 to 2011. Cowen served as a TD for the constituency of Laois–Offaly from 1984 to 2011 and served in several ...
responded to his resignation by assigning himself temporary responsibility for the Department of Defence.
Tony Killeen Anthony Killeen (born 9 June 1952) is an Irish former Fianna Fáil politician who served Minister for Defence from 2010 to 2011, Minister of State for Fisheries and Forestry from 2008 to 2010, Minister of State at the Department of the Enviro ...
was later appointed as Minister of Defence. O'Dea said he decided to resign when it became clear that the Green Party would no longer support the Government if he was to stay in office.


Reaction

Newspapers in Ireland discussed O'Dea's resignation the following day. "Yet more proof that Fianna Fail simply don't get it", ''
The Irish Times ''The Irish Times'' is an Irish daily broadsheet newspaper and online digital publication. It was launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Ruadhán Mac Cormaic. It is published every day except Sundays. ''The Irish Times'' is Ireland's leading n ...
'' informed its readers. The ''
Irish Independent The ''Irish Independent'' is an Irish daily newspaper A newspaper is a Periodical literature, periodical publication containing written News, information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray backgrou ...
'' said the Green Party was responsible for O'Dea's resignation and noted that he would receive compensation of €100,000. Defamation victim Councillor
Maurice Quinlivan Maurice Quinlivan (born 1967/1968) is an Irish Sinn Féin politician who has been a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Limerick City constituency since the 2016 general election. He was appointed Chair of the Committee on Enterprise, Trade and Employ ...
welcomed the Minister's resignation, describing his position as "untenable" and expressing joy that the "sorry saga" had been "finally put to bed". Dan Boyle said the Green Party would remain as Fianna Fáil's coalition partners after the resignation of O'Dea. Fine Gael TD Michael Noonan paid tribute to O'Dea, speaking of his "respect" for the former minister and acknowledging: "It is regrettable that Limerick will be without a Cabinet minister for the foreseeable future". Fine Gael TD
Dinny McGinley Denis McGinley (born 27 April 1945) is an Irish former Fine Gael politician who served as a Minister of State from 2011 to 2014. He served as a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Donegal South-West constituency from 1982 to 2016. Background McGinley w ...
criticised the Government for their handling of the affair, saying it had "brought standards in the Dáil to a new low". O'Dea's first public comments following his resignation came on 19 February 2010: O'Dea also admitted for the first time that the Green Party had pushed him aside. Garda Commissioner
Fachtna Murphy Fachtna Murphy (born 26 June 1947) is a former Irish Garda who served as Garda Commissioner from 2007 to 2010. Prior to his appointment he was the Deputy Commissioner with responsibility for operational policing strategies in the Garda Síochá ...
will decide soon whether to investigate the affair. Former
RTÉ 2fm RTÉ 2fm, or 2FM as it is more commonly referred to, is an Irish radio station operated by RTÉ. The station specialises in current popular music and chart hits and is the second national radio station in Ireland. History The station commenc ...
disc jockey and friend of O'Dea Michael McNamara described O'Dea's departure as "a bad day for Limerick". In
Cork "Cork" or "CORK" may refer to: Materials * Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product ** Stopper (plug), or "cork", a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container *** Wine cork an item to seal or reseal wine Places Ireland * ...
on 20 February Green Party leader
John Gormley John Gormley (born 4 August 1959) is an Irish former Green Party politician who served as Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government from June 2007 to January 2011, Leader of the Green Party from June 2007 to May 2011 and Lor ...
said that prior to the Minister's resignation he had told Taoiseach Brian Cowen that O'Dea's position was "untenable and the stability of the Government would be under threat as a consequence and it would prove a real distraction" if he did go. On 18 March 2010, an opinion poll found that almost 63% of the Limerick population believed it was necessary for Willie O'Dea to resign as Defence Minister. Scandal database GateCrimes rates Brothelgate 'Totally a Gate'.


Song

Limerick rap duo
The Rubberbandits The Rubberbandits are an Irish comedy hip-hop duo from Limerick. They consist of Blindboy Boatclub (real name Dave Chambers) and Mr Chrome (sometimes Bobby Chrome; real name Bob McGlynn). During performances and interviews, they conceal their i ...
achieved success online with their lampoon "A Song for Willie O'Dea".


References


External links


Willie O'Dea's letter of resignation
* Political responses

(Fianna Fáil

(Fine Gael

(Labour Party)

with Aengus Fanning in the '' Sunday Independent''
Limerick Leader/UL poll: 63% in Limerick say Willie O'Dea had to resign

Willie O'Dea Interview on controversy given to RTÉ1 Radio News at One
{{Sinn Féin 2009 in Irish politics 2010 in Irish politics 30th Dáil Brian Cowen History of Fianna Fáil Political scandals in the Republic of Ireland