Retired Supreme Court Judge Catherine McGuinness supports Sabina Higgins’ prison visit.

Thursday 23rd, 14:48pm

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IMMEDIATE: Thursday 23rd January, 2014.

Retired Supreme Court Judge Catherine McGuinness supports Sabina Higgins’ prison visit.

Retired Supreme Court Judge Catherine McGuinness appeared on Ireland AM this morning voicing her support for Sabina Higgins visiting Aosdána member and peace activist Margaretta D’Arcy in Limerick Prison.

Dr McGuinness appeared on the programme to discuss taking part in the Irish Primary Principal's Network conference.

Watch the full Ireland AM interview here: www.tv3.ie/3player/show/184/75130/1/Ireland-AM/

Ireland AM airs Monday to Friday on TV3 from 7am – 10.45am.

Retired Supreme Court Judge Catherine McGuinness appeared on Ireland AM this morning (Thursday 23rd January) and voiced her support for Sabina Higgins after she received media backlash for visiting Aosdána member and peace activist Margaretta D’Arcy in Limerick Prison last weekend.

Dr McGuiness said that as a member of the Council of State, she does not have any concerns about the visit.

“Well I don’t consider it to be in any way the business of the Council of State. I mean the Council of State has a very limited function set out in the constitution where basically all we’re there for is to advise the President in certain functions like where he decides whether to sign a bill and an obscure function to do with is a money bill a money bill or not a money bill.”

The former Supreme Court Judge said that the “President’s wife has no statutory function or constitutional function” and that the issue was made public deliberately.

“Frankly, I have a great admiration for Sabina and I think that they were long friends and I think that it’s rather a pity that the organisation that is supporting Margaretta D’Arcy deliberately, I think, threw it open to the media that Ms Higgins was making this private visit and I don’t think set out to make it a public question.”

Dr McGuiness believes that more public figures should visit prisons to see their conditions.

“I think the more public figures that go to see people in prison the better because people should know what prisons are like. Certainly I would have felt if I was going to, as I did in my time, send people to prison, that I should go to the prison and make sure I know what they are like before I send people there.”

Dr McGuiness appeared on Ireland AM to discuss taking part in the Irish Primary Principal's Network conference.

Ireland AM airs Monday to Friday on TV3 from 7am – 10.45am.

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