Christie to give up council seat

Martin Christie announced yesterday evening that he will resign his Sinn Féin seat on Fingal County Council at the request of the party's Ard Chomhairle.

Councillor Christie told An Phoblacht: "Following the election I gave a full and frank interview about a mistake in my past. This mistake was a moment of stupidity, which was completely out of character and which I have regretted ever since. Naïvely, I believed that this was something that was over and done with and that I could get on with my life.

"Despite my desire to continue to represent the people of Mulhuddart, it is clear that my position is untenable. Therefore, I will now resign my seat on Fingal County Council and support a Sinn Féin co-option in my place.

"This has been a very difficult time for my family, particularly my wife and children, and I want to thank them for the support they have given me. I also want to apologise for any embarrassment I have caused Sinn Féin.

"My desire was, and still is, to work with Sinn Féin. I intend to do this and hope this regrettable incident is now behind me."

Chairperson of Dublin Sinn Féin, Justin Moran, said: "We realise that this has been a difficult matter for Martin and his family and it is a credit to him that he dealt with the issue in an up-front and commendable manner.

"Martin has played and will continue to play a key role as a community and Sinn Féin activist in Mulhuddart.

"This issue is now behind us and we look forward to continuing the work of representing the people of Mulhuddart on Fingal County Council."