Sharon Keogan (Independent) | Oireachtas source

The ambassador is very welcome. I thank him and the people from Lithuania for what they have contributed to our economy and society over the past 15 to 20 years.

Today, I rise to address the revelations emerging from the recently released Epstein emails that should concern every democracy, including our own. It would be dangerously naïve to assume that the political fallout happening across the water has no bearing on Ireland.

We now know that Peter Mandelson, a senior political figure in Britain, maintained contact with Jeffrey Epstein even after his conviction, passing sensitive information and sustaining a relationship far deeper than previously admitted. At the centre of the resulting political firestorm is Morgan McSweeney, an Irish-born aide to Prime Minister Keir Starmer, not because he had dealings with Epstein, at least that we know of, but because he was the one who pushed for Mandelson’s appointment to one of the most important diplomatic roles in the British state. I understand that this is a tangential connection but when the Epstein files show the scale of corrupt interpersonal networks operating informally across borders, we would be fools not to pay attention, especially when, separately, his father’s firm was paid €6.9 million by this State to house asylum seekers. No wrongdoing is alleged but the public deserves reassurance, not coincidence layered upon coincidence.

There are also emails outlining business discussions between Epstein and his associates concerning Irish businesses, including discussions about a $10 billion Allied Irish Banks' US property portfolio. There were also discussions about involving Mandelson himself in Irish-linked business ventures. There is also the far more disturbing Irish angle because among the released files are references to women trafficked into Ireland. There is one email where a correspondent asks Epstein, “Are you going to send me names and numbers of people to play with in Ireland?” There is one email from a woman claiming to have been trafficked to Ireland at the age of 13, which the Garda announced yesterday that it was not going to investigate. That is absolutely disgraceful.

This is not the time for silence or handwringing; this is the time for action. When Britain and other nations see resignations at the highest levels of government over Epstein-linked associations, Ireland cannot simply shrink its shoulders. We must protect our own institutions, our own reputation and, most importantly, our own people. That is why I call today for the formation of either an Oireachtas investigative committee or a Garda inquiry, or both, to examine the full set of Epstein emails for any Irish connections.This is not to sensationalise or point fingers but to ensure that if any links touch our jurisdiction, our politics, our nation, our agencies or our vulnerable citizens, they are brought to light. Ireland cannot afford to look the other way when it comes to Jeffrey Epstein.