The Dáil returns to a whistleblower storm and an attack on a TD

Yeah, so yesterday evening I was finishing my shift up here in Leinster House and I was contacted basically by somebody who was just out of the Coombe Hospital and he contacted me and told me that he had seen a person of significance in a spot of bother.

Michael Healy-Ray was in his car.

He was being tended to by Gardaí and some ambulance workers And I found out that he was seen with a bloodied nose and he was then taken from his own car to a guarded car and driven off.

So, yeah, we got in touch.

I got in touch with my colleagues here and we looked into it and it unfolded that Michael Healy Ray was a victim of an assault.

Okay.

And obviously you couldn't miss it, I suppose, from the perspective of the bystander, because he was in a branded vehicle, Doneca, and it seems we hear that he was hit through an open window at the time.

Yeah, and this was confirmed later on by his brother, Danny Healy-Ray in the Dáil, who said he was stopped in traffic in his branded vehicle.

His window was open and there was, we understand, some sort of altercation with a passerby who, assaulted him through the window of the car Danny Healy-Ray expressing his worry I think we could hear the worry in his voice in his contribution in the Dáil later on and this was rightly I suppose condemned by political figures across the political spectrum Tánaiste Simon Harris Taoiseach Minister for Justice Jim O'Callaghan about I suppose it puts it into context a growing sense of unease I think in politics at the moment in terms of online abuse abuse on the streets and public representatives who are putting themselves out there and who are feeling under considerable threat

And that is, you really get the sense that everyone felt for him and many people have experienced that abuse.

And we did hear a statement from Michael Healy-Ray this morning.

Yeah,

Michael Healy-Ray saying he won't be deterred from his work and talking about a sense of toxicity when it comes to public discourse and how that needs to be challenged and addressed.

But equally, you know, strident in his view that he will be back to work fairly soon.

He was taken to Vincent's hospital in an ambulance and did get stitches kind of around his mouth.

So significant enough injuries, but he was able to get back to Kerry last night.

And you would assume, well, maybe you tell me, is there going to be some sort of rapprochement between himself and Danny? We saw the documentary over the summer, you know, that there was quite a significant rift between the brothers.

When I spoke to Danny when this happened, I said, is it fair to say you're worried about him? And he said, it's only natural that I would be worried about him.

And we saw then that emotion in his voice.

I still kind of it's interesting how they refer to each other.

Danny say, I hope he's all right.

I hope his family's all right.

But of course, to the eyes of the public, they are all the one family.

But you can see the different strata of he raised.

Nonetheless, I think this probably is the beginning of some kind of building bridges.