Aisling Moloney

So what you had is, you know, speeches across the house.

But in particular, when the government chief whip, Mary Butler, got up to speak and the junior minister in the Department of Health, Jennifer Maynane O'Connor, when she got up to speak as well, it was they were interrupted by Independent Ireland.

Now, Independent Ireland say that they were interrupting regardless of gender of the speakers, they were interrupting on basis of fact and challenging the government on their failures and they weren't interrupting based on gender.

However, Mary Butler herself, Minister Butler, said that she felt spoken down by Independent Ireland TDs Ken O'Flynn and Richard Donoghue.

Again, they strenuously deny these allegations of misogyny.

Jennifer Murnane-O'Connor said the same.

that she felt that she was shouted down.

And the Minister for Defence and Foreign Affairs, Helen McEntee, also, you know, echoed their sentiment and said that these two female ministers were barked down by the members from Independent Ireland.

So you could see in the debate that it was very heated at times and there were interjections.

Also, you know, in some male ministers' speeches, like Piers Daugherty was very much getting in at the end of Jim O'Callaghan's speech, which Jim O'Callaghan passionately responded to.

Independent Ireland interrupted the enterprise minister, Peter Burke, also.

And I would, just for, I suppose, to note as well, that, you know, Helen McEntee...

Jennifer Carl McNeill, Hildegard Nocton, Eimear Higgins and Norma Foley, all ministers, all got up and spoke without interruption.

And Agriculture Minister Martin Hayden remarked live in the Dáil saying that he wasn't interrupted when he was speaking, but Jennifer Murnane O'Connor and Mary Butler were.

So it was in real time, the levels of misogyny or the accusations of misogyny were being levelled.

And then it led to the Social Democrats party chair, Jen Cummins, sending a letter to the Ceann Comhairle asking for this to be looked at and urging that there should be respect amongst all members.

And I suppose also questioning how this looks on the outside when you have female ministers being...

you know, very robustly heckled in the Dáil chamber.

And, you know, Jennifer Whitmore, the Social Democrats TD also, I spoke to her, she interjected in real time also saying you're shouting down the female ministers.

And so it was apparent to those sitting in the Dáil at the time, there were interjections in real time from both the Social Democrats and the government benches saying you're shouting down the women.