More details will emerge the longer Mairia Cahill pursues justice

Facing questions on the issue for the first time in five days, the Sinn Fein President let slip last night he knew “of the IRA” being involved in the rape of Mairia Cahill when he first learned of the allegations.

Adams was less than sure-footed last week in his eventual response to Belfast woman’s claim she was raped by a member of the IRA, the Provos interrogated her on the claims and the case was covered up with Sinn Fein’s collusion.

Adams particularly objected to Ms Cahill’s attribution of certain comments to him in a meeting between the pair. He acknowledged meeting her back in 2000, at a time when she was troubled, but denies they discussed her alleged abuse.

He said he first learned of the allegations from Ms Cahill’s cousin, Siobhan O’Hanlon, who has since passed away, and then spoke with her uncle, Joe Cahill, a founder of the Provisional IRA.

“Siobhan and I met with Joe Cahill who was Mairia’s uncle. We told Joe of the allegation and asked him to speak to Mairia about reporting this to the RUC. He did so. Mairia did not want to do this at that time,” he said last Thursday in a less than convincing showing.

Since then, Adams has stayed off the airwaves, happy to let Mary-Lou McDonald and Pearse Doherty take hits to their credibility on his behalf.

Over the course of the weekend, the Sinn Fein position shifted as senior party figures acknowledged Ms Cahill was raped and admitted the IRA did conduct kangaroo courts into sex abuse claims.

The Sinn Fein President re-emerged yesterday in the Dail where he came under fire from Taoiseach Enda Kenny and Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin.

The Taoiseach told Adams if the allegations were being made about Fine Gael, he “wouldn’t last five minutes”.

Last night, while attending a Siptu event, Adams was questioned by the media. His answers were again hesitant and lacking in confidence.

Whether by accident or design, for the first time, he acknowledged he knew of an IRA-link to the alleged rape of Mairia Cahill when he learned of the allegations.

“And she’s acknowledged that her uncle Joe asked her to go to the RUC and it was at my request that she did that because once, once it became clear to me, subsequently, that there was this entire situation of alleged abuse, of the IRA, of all of this, I went to Joe and said: ‘Joe that needs to go to the RUC’,” he said.

Ms Cahill meets with Taoiseach Enda Kenny this morning.

The longer she pursues justice and acknowledgement she is telling the truth, the more details emerge.