Politics Another Sinn Fein councillor resigns due to handling of 'unethical behaviour' Close 1/1 Gabe Cronnelly, who has resigned from Sinn Fein Gallery 1 Gabe Cronnelly, who has resigned from Sinn Fein

SINN Féin has been dealt a further blow with the resignation of yet another councillor.

Galway councillor Gabe Cronnelly announced he was resigning from the party today.

In a statement he said he was resigning from the party “due to ongoing unrest around the way the party is dealing with unethical behaviour”.

His resignation comes days after that of high profile Sinn Féin Senator Trevor O’Clochartaigh.

The Athenry based councillor said: “I am awfully disappointed at the way Sinn Féin leadership have refused to address the concerns of so many decent members here in Galway, in relation to unacceptable behaviour by a small group of people.

“It is very hard to have faith in a party which preaches one thing publicly, but fails to live up to true Republican ideals itself.

“Sinn Féin has a Constitution and a Code of Ethics which are great documents on paper, but when it comes to calling people to account who are treating others in an unprofessional manner, the rule book goes out the window.”

Mr Cronnelly raised concerns about “a small group of individuals who are putting themselves first” in the party, describing it as unacceptable.

He insisted the move was not linked to the party’s selection convention, adding that the Sinn Féin leadership had known about the problems for a long time.

“I was one of those who wrote to head office in April to express my concerns. The review that leadership did in the area did not improve things and made things worse rather than better,” he said.

He said he had not taken the decision to resign lightly adding that if circumstances within the party and the current situation were to change he may reconsider his position.

“I feel therefore moving forward, that I can better serve the people of the Oranmore-Athenry LEA far better as an Independent Councillor and for that reason I am resigning from Sinn Féin with immediate effect,” he added.

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