It would be fair to say Sinn Féin has been weathering multiple scandals the past few weeks, from the Michael McMonagle controversy to Brian Stanley's resignation.
So, here is a timeline of the party's recent troubles...
On Saturday, September 28th, Sean Mag Uidhir and Caolan McGinley resigned as Sinn Féin press officers, days after it emerged that they had given references for former colleague, Michael McMonagle, for a job at a charity in 2022.
The party said it was not aware of the references until the week before and said they were provided without clearance from the party. Sinn Féin described the press officers’ actions as “unacceptable and wrong”.
Last month, McMonagle, 42, from Limewood Street, Derry, admitted a series of offences, including attempting to incite a child to engage in sexual activity.
Taoiseach Simon Harris said the revelations were "deeply disturbing", and said he hoped Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald would answer "legitimate questions" on the matter.
Party vice president Michelle O’Neill and MLA Conor Murphy both insisted it was not the responsibility of the party to inform the British Heart Foundation that McMonagle had been facing allegations, stating that to do so could have prejudiced the police investigation.
Northern Ireland’s Chief Constable subsequently indicated that he does not believe Sinn Féin passing information that a former employee was being investigated for sex offences would have harmed the investigation.
On Friday, October 4th, it was revealed that Sinn Féin had not returned McMonagle's security pass or informed the Assembly Commission of his arrest or suspension by the party.
The commission said the pass sponsor (which is either the party or an individual MLA) should return the pass once the holder leaves their employment.
“This did not occur in this case,” the commission said in a statement.
In a statement, Sinn Féin said: “When Michael McMonagle’s employment was suspended his pass should have been revoked.”
It was then revealed on Saturday, October 5th, that a senior Sinn Féin official was told about the references by the British Heart Foundation (BHF) in August 2023, despite indicating that September 25th was the first it knew about them.
The party then faced calls for transparency, with DUP leader, Gavin Robinson, saying; "It’s time for full transparency from Sinn Féin. Is the truth being hid or is there a total lack of competence? It’s time for honesty."
Sinn Féin then acknowledged that the BHF had contacted an HR official in Sinn Féin in August 2023 to query the references, after media coverage of McMonagle being charged.
Michelle O’Neill said she was not made aware of that contact at the time, following news that she employed McMonagle directly during his time working at the Northern Assembly.
On Wednesday, October 9th, it was reported that a Stormont committee was to seek legal advice on what basis it can invite Northern Ireland’s First Minister Michelle O’Neill back to answer more questions about the Michael McMonagle controversy.
Over the following weekend, it was revealed that a Sinn Féin member resigned from the party after allegedly sending inappropriate messages to a 17-year-old.
The party member was suspended by Sinn Féin in September 2023 and the incident was referred to the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) and social services.
On Wednesday, it was revealed that former Sinn Féin Senator Niall Ó Donnghaile was the party member suspended for sending inappropriate texts to a 17-year-old.
Ó Donnghaile told the Irish News in a statement he accepted his actions warranted resignation from the party.
With Sinn Féin still in the depths of controversy over the McMonagle references and the revelation of a resignation of a party member over the alleged sending of inappropriate messages to a 17-year-old, another scandal was thrown into the mix over the weekend.
Brian Stanley, who had been a TD for Laois-Offaly since 2011 and chairman of the Oireachtas Public Accounts Committee, announced his resignation from Sinn Féin on Saturday, October 12th.
In a statement issued to Laois Today, Mr Stanley said his decision follows a “complaint” that was made about him that led to an internal party inquiry.
He questioned the party’s process, claiming it “lacked objectivity” and it was “seriously flawed”.
He added: “Considering what I have experienced and how Sinn Féin has dealt with this and other matters across the wider party in recent months, I can no longer have confidence in it.”
Mary Lou McDonald then said that the complaint at the centre of a disciplinary investigation Stanley, as well as a “serious” counter-allegation that arose during the procedure, had been passed to gardaí.
McDonald said that a complaint was made against the Laois TD at the end of July by a long-standing member of the party. She refused to comment on the specifics of the complaint.
On Tuesday, October 14th, Stanley accused members of Sinn Féin of orchestrating a “character assassination” against him as he said matters should have been referred to gardaí “some time” ago.
Taoiseach Simon Harris then said conflicting timelines offered by Stanley and McDonald had created “another layer of confusion and lack of clarity”.
Sinn Féin then claimed it advised Stanley to go to gardaí over concerns he raised during an internal probe into a complaint against him.
A member of the Public Accounts Committee called on McDonald to clarify the timeline of events that led to the resignation of Stanley.
Fianna Fáil TD James O’Connor told Newstalk radio on Tuesday that he felt Sinn Féin was not being honest with the public about what was going on in relation to Stanley.
