Blind Irish senator resigns after arrest for public intoxication
The first blind politician to have sat in the Irish parliament has resigned from his party membership. He made the decision after being arrested on a street in Dublin while intoxicated. His party learned about the entire situation from the media.
Just a few days after being re-elected to the Irish Senate, Martin Conway resigned from the Fine Gael party. He admitted that the decision was a consequence of his arrest early in the morning on January 22.
The Sunday Independent newspaper reported a few days ago that the politician was detained in Dublin because he was unable to stand due to alcohol intoxication. He was then taken to the police station.
"I was detained at the Store Street Garda police station and released a few hours later without any charges," he said, announcing his resignation.
The senator was drunk and ended up in custody. His party learned about it from the media
Outrage was sparked not only by the arrest itself but also by Conway's concealment of the fact. Politicians, including the Prime Minister and Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin, learned of it on Sunday morning, some from the media and others only after the senator's resignation.
In an interview on the program The Week in Politics on RTÉ, Minister of Agriculture Martin Heydon, a Fine Gael deputy, said he was "very disappointed" with Mr. Conway's statement and confirmed that disciplinary proceedings are ongoing within the party. “What can we do about this situation we are learning about this weekend from media reports? It is evident that a person in the party who signed a party commitment to become a Fine Gael candidate has a duty to inform the party if a similar incident occurs, and in this case, it did not happen," Heydon emphasized.
"I would like to sincerely apologize to my family, colleagues, and supporters. (...) I have let myself down. I would also like to apologize to the members of An Garda Síochána (the Irish police) for having to deal with this matter," said Martin Conway in a statement.
Martin Conway has been a senator since 2011 and is the first visually impaired member of parliament. He often represented his party in the media and also campaigned for the rights of disabled people.
Source: Independent.ie/Sky News/Irish Times/WP
