Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald has said that clarity is needed “as a matter of urgency” from Minister for Agriculture Barry Cowen regarding the assertion that he tried to evade a garda checkpoint by doing a U-turn in his car.

Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald has said that clarity is needed “as a matter of urgency” from Minister for Agriculture Barry Cowen regarding the assertion that he tried to evade a garda checkpoint by doing a U-turn in his car.
Speaking on RTÉ’s Today with Sarah McInerney programme, Ms McDonald said that it is a question of public confidence as “we are in the extraordinary situation that a government is contradicting a garda report and a garda file” which is not a sustainable position.
She said Mr Cowen was on the scene at the time of question, “so we have to assume he knows exactly and precisely what happened” and he needs to give a full account of that.
Ms McDonald said that she accepts people can make mistakes and he made a very serious and dangerous mistake and has apologised.
However, she said that “we need to know which version of events is true” and after it is clarified, see how a garda account differs with what Mr Cowen says.
On Sunday, Mr Cowen issued a statement in response to an article in the Sunday Times newspaper.
He said he did not evade or attempt to evade a garda on the night he was found to be drink-driving in September 2016.
Mr Cowen’s statement said the article refers to an incorrect garda record dealing with the incident, despite the fact that his solicitors wrote to the newspaper in advance of publication.
Earlier, speaking on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland, Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment Leo Varadkar said he is sure Mr Cowen “will answer any questions that are pertinent” in relation to his drink driving ban.
Mr Varadkar said what’s “more important is that he has made a complaint to the gardaí about this garda report”, which said Minister Cowen avoided a garda checkpoint.
Mr Varadkar said “there’s nothing more to say about it”, until he sees the outcome of the garda investigation into it.
In 2016, Mr Cowen was stopped at a checkpoint and breathalysed on his way home to Co Offaly from Dublin after the All-Ireland football.
He was found to be over the limit and issued with a fixed charge penalty notice, €200 fine and disqualified from driving for three months.
Mr Cowen addressed the controversy in the Dáil last week when he said he was profoundly sorry for the offence, which he said was a stupid mistake.