Shortly after his re-election to the Seanad, Martin Conway disclosed that he was arrested in the early hours of January 22 for being intoxicated due to the combination of sleeping tablets and alcohol.
He stated, “I was taken into custody at Store Street Garda Station and released without charge several hours later.”
The 50-year-old senator acknowledged that he did not notify his party about the incident.
Senator Conway is affiliated with Fine Gael, which is currently led by Deputy Prime Minister Simon Harris.
In his statement, he expressed a desire to “apologise unreservedly to my family, colleagues, supporters, and my nominating body, Vision Ireland.”
He continued, “I have let myself down. I also wish to apologise to the members of An Garda Síochána for having to address this situation.”
Conway has resigned from the Fine Gael Parliamentary Party, and he is aware that a disciplinary process will now be initiated.
Fine Gael acknowledged the senator’s statement, his apologies, and his resignation from the party whip, confirming that the issue is now under review by the party’s disciplinary committee.
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Senator Conway, hailing from County Clare, was born with congenital cataracts. Since 2013, he has served as a board member for the charity Vision Ireland, which has been contacted for a statement. His arrest occurred mere hours before the Dáil convened to officially confirm Micheál Martin as the new Taoiseach, or prime minister. Disruptions regarding speaking rights in the chamber resulted in the postponement of this confirmation process until the next day. New senators were either elected or appointed in a January election. Just six days prior, Senator Conway expressed his “absolute delight” at being re-elected and extended his gratitude to his supporters. The Seanad is composed of 60 members, elected from five vocational panels, two university constituencies, or appointed by the Taoiseach. Among the newly appointed senators is former Sky News broadcaster Alison Comyn.
