Overview

• The independent presidential candidate said the applicant fully disclosed her past, submitted paperwork, and worked for under six months while vetting produced no outcome before she left to continue a PhD.
• Connolly said daily visitor passes were used in the absence of a full pass and that no security authority told her the arrangement was inappropriate.
• She said the woman was recommended by TDs including Éamon Ó Cuív and Clare Daly through a prison‑visiting committee and described her as a model prisoner with strong Irish language skills.
• Taoiseach Micheál Martin called the decision a very serious lack of judgement, Fine Gael’s Heather Humphreys demanded an explanation for access without completed clearance, and Green Party leader Roderic O’Gorman expressed misgivings given the workplace location.
• The Irish Independent identified the woman as Ursula Shannon, convicted by the Special Criminal Court over firearms and ammunition found in a 2012 interception, with a six‑year sentence reported and early release prior to the 2018 role.