Charlie Flanagan describes tribute as ‘nauseating’
Former Justice Minister Charlie Flanagan criticized Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald's tribute to the late Brendan "Bik" McFarlane, a former IRA commander in the Maze prison during the 1981 hunger strikes, calling it "nauseating." Flanagan highlighted McFarlane's involvement in sectarian crimes, including a 1975 pub attack, his role in a 1983 Maze prison escape, and suspicion regarding the 1983 kidnapping of Don Tidey. McFarlane was imprisoned, later extradited, and eventually released on parole; he was cleared in 2008 of charges related to the Tidey kidnapping.
