SINN FÉIN in Clare was “extremely misogynistic towards women,” a former member who is contesting the General Election in Clare for the Social Democrats has said.
For three years, Hilary Tonge (SD) was a Sinn Féin member, she worked primarily on election campaigns of Ballyvaughan native Noeleen Moran in 2016 and 2019 and served as chair of the party’s Ennis cumann.
Recalling her time with Sinn Féin, Hilary said, “I found personal difficulties with the party” which “absolutely” prompted her exit from the party.
Transparency has been a word used to describe the Social Democrats in their own literature, Tonge said it could “never” be attributed to Sinn Féin.
She told The Clare Echo, “I would just say that when I was there, I found it extremely misogynistic towards females at a local level and all over actually”.
Hilary said, “Obviously I could have joined Sinn Féin if I wanted to but I don’t want to, I never will and I think the Social Democrats are centre-left, Sinn Féin for the last how long it has been scandal after scandal, I’m not surprised therefore that is not a party I’d be aligned to”.
In February 2022, Violet-Anne Wynne (IND) left Sinn Féin claiming she was subject to “psychological warfare”. She stated, “This is not a decision that I have taken lightly and I have battled with the party for many months now trying to avoid this course of action as I wholeheartedly believed in them. My membership has become untenable knowing that what we see is not what is experienced on the ground and therefore I cannot be the only one who is experiencing or will experience such difficulties in the future. My unplanned pregnancy was also a further stick to beat me with and I am truly concerned for women who may want to come forward for Sinn Fein in the future, in Clare”.
Speaking to The Clare Echo, Cllr Donna McGettigan (SF) said she never experienced misogyny within Sinn Féin at a local level. “I never experienced any of that, in fairness to the party I’ve always got the help that I’ve needed, I’ve always had my word respected, anything I do say is taken on board, I’ve never come across anything like that in my own personal stance in the party ever”.
McGettigan added, “I’m sure Violet-Anne said the party didn’t help her out, now it is up to her to go face the electorate and they will vote based on her record now, I don’t know how they felt, I wasn’t involved in their direct relations with Sinn Féin. I know Hilary, I would salute Hilary and we would be friends, I don’t know where the stories are coming from, I was not involved”.
