Sharon Keogan

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other house last week running to get a ringside seat to be part of the Joe Biden situation. If she feels so strongly about migration and immigration she shouldn't have been in there. We were celebrating the fact that an Irishman had made it to the highest office in the United States. And yet, we see this kind of vile language being used against some of our nearest neighbours." [29]

It was also widely pointed out in the media that the tweet was incorrect; although Drew Harris is originally from Belfast, he is an Irish citizen. [29] [30] In the immediate aftermath of the tweet, Keogan did not attend the Seanad and she refused to speak with the media. [29]

Leinster House event featuring Far-Right and Anti-Vaccine speakers

In February 2024 Members of the Dáil expressed concerns over an event held in Leinster House organised by Keogan, titled "WHO pandemic treaty, know the facts", which featured far-right and anti-vaccination advocates. Critics, including TDs Neasa Hourigan, Louise O'Reilly, and Paul Murphy argued that the panel promoted disinformation and extremist views. The panellists included Christine Anderson, an MEP from the Alternative for Germany party; English MP Andrew Bridgen, who was expelled from the Conservative Party in 2023 for promoting vaccine misinformation; Meryl Nass, a Maine doctor and anti-vaccine activist with a suspended license; and Tess Lawrie of the World Council for Health, an organisation which has been criticised for spreading vaccine misinformation. [31] [32]

Speading false and misleading information

In 2023 and throughout 2024 TheJournal.ie debunked several online posts by Keogan. These included false claims of children being human trafficked to County Mayo, [33] the misleading attribution of statistics to assert that Dublin had the "worst homelessness" of any major city in the western world (alongside the #IrelandIsFull hashtag) [34] and the incorrect assertion that Bangladeshi asylum seekers in County Westmeath were provided with a "free home". [35]

In March 2024 the Electoral Commission issued a statement after Keogan erected misleading campaign posters during the 2024 Irish constitutional referendums. Keogan's posters stated that "Don't force mothers out to work… Vote No". The statement read "An Coimisiún Toghcháin (The Electoral Commission) is clear that one of the posters which have been posted in a number of areas in Dublin and elsewhere under the imprint of Senator Sharon Keogan is an incorrect representation of what people are being asked to vote on this Friday", and that Keogan's posters "misrepresents what the current provision and its proposed amendment actually mean". Keogan stood by her posters and complained about the Commission's intervention. [36]

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References

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  2. "Sharon Keogan". Oireachtas Members Database. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
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  11. "Keogan nominates Amanda Smith for second seat". Meath Chronicle. 31 May 2019.
  12. "Gilroy new council chairperson". Meath Live. 6 June 2020. Archived from the original on 10 June 2020.
  13. O'Connell, Hugh (29 January 2020). "Election candidate defends call for discussion on whether children with special needs should be microchipped". Irish Independent . Dublin. Archived from the original on 30 January 2020.
  14. Hennessy, Michelle (14 January 2020). "Gardaí investigate fire that 'destroyed' Meath councillor's office". TheJournal.ie. Retrieved 18 February 2022.
  15. Feehan, Conor (15 January 2020). "Councillor's office firebombed after comments about shooting of driver" . Irish Independent . Retrieved 18 February 2022.
  16. 1 2 Tutty, Sonja (10 September 2021). "Senators condemn Keogan's claims of 'organised LGBT takeover'" . The Times . Retrieved 18 February 2022.
  17. "Exclusive; Senator Keoghan Faces Calls for Her Resignation in LGBT Row" . Retrieved 18 February 2022.
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  19. Sharon Keogan [@SenatorKeogan] (4 April 2022). "#VictorOrban winner alright. When 6 different parties try to squash nationalism, this is what happens. Orban doesn't bend the knee to anyone. #Hungary first, his #people first and #family first" (Tweet) via Twitter.
  20. Una Mullally (24 April 2022). "Una Mullally: What should we do when Senators go too far?" . Irish Times . Retrieved 25 April 2022.
  21. "Sharon Keogan's 'free Speech'" . The Phoenix . 26 April 2022. Retrieved 28 April 2022.
  22. "Turf wars, TD numbers and a row over surrogacy". Inside Politics by the Irish Times . 27 April 2022. Retrieved 28 April 2022.
  23. Regan, Mary (21 April 2022). "Surrogacy committee suspended after 'crude and cold' accusation". RTÉ News . Retrieved 25 April 2022.
  24. Duffy, Rónán (21 April 2022). "'Check your Christian values': Senator asked to leave Oireachtas committee during surrogacy hearing". TheJournal.ie. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
  25. Duffy, Rónán (22 April 2022). "Senator objects to 'deeply personal attack' after being labelled 'crude and cold' during committee". TheJournal.ie. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
  26. Meskill, Tommy (27 April 2022). "Independent Senator resigns from Oireachtas committee".
  27. 1 2 3 4 Horgan-Jones, Jack (29 March 2023). "Minister O'Gorman rejects 'unspoken assertion' over funding in heated Seanad exchange". The Irish Times . Retrieved 8 May 2023.
  28. 1 2 3 4 Begley, Ian (1 April 2023). "Minister Roderic O'Gorman denies accusations he favoured LGBTQ+ causes". Extra.ie. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
  29. 1 2 3 4 5 Miriam Lord (22 April 2023). "Miriam Lord's week: Senator's tweet a shining example of the Great Nutcasement". The Irish Times . Retrieved 8 May 2023.
  30. "Belfast-born Garda Commissioner Drew Harris described as 'non Irish' by Irish politician". 20 April 2023. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
  31. Loughlin, Elaine (1 February 2024). "Concerns over Leinster House event featuring anti-vaccination campaigners". Irish Examiner . Retrieved 8 November 2024.
  32. Hosford, Paul (10 February 2024). "Covid discussion panel puts spotlight on misinformation". Irish Examiner . Retrieved 8 November 2024.
  33. "Debunked: No evidence of children trafficked to Mayo as described in Senator's tweet". TheJournal.ie . 8 March 2024. Retrieved 19 January 2025.
  34. "Debunked: Chart used to criticise Dublin actually shows ranking for homelessness services". TheJournal.ie . 20 March 2024. Retrieved 19 January 2024.
  35. "'This is wrong': The misleading claim about a refugee family getting a free house in Westmeath". TheJournal.ie . 13 December 2023. Retrieved 19 January 2025.
  36. MacRedmond, David (8 March 2024). "Electoral Commission: Referendum poster by Senator Sharon Keogan 'an incorrect representation'". TheJournal.ie . Retrieved 19 January 2025.
Sharon Keogan
Sharon Keogan 2020 (cropped).jpg
Keogan in June 2020
Senator
Assumed office
29 June 2020