MAIRÍA Cahill, the Labour party candidate in the Seanad by-election, should answer questions about her links to a dissident republican group, Fianna Fáil Chief Whip Seán Ó Fearghaíl said.
In an interview last night on RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta, Mr Ó Fearghaíl called on Ms Cahill to reply to questions raised about her previous links to Republican Network for Unity (RNU).
Ms Cahill's candidacy for Labour was debated in the Seanad on Tuesday. She is favourite to win the seat.
Mr Ó Fearghaíl said: "I would be quite concerned about the matters that have been raised, and I believe that Maíria Cahill should answer publicly the questions that are being asked".
Ms Cahill has previously said she had a very brief association with RNU, becoming its national secretary in 2010.
But she said she has had no links with the group since then and would no longer describe herself as a republican.
She said she had "repeatedly stated her support for peace, for the Good Friday Agreement, and for the rule of law".
Ms Cahill came to prominence last year when she claimed a suspected IRA man raped her when she was a teenager and that the IRA helped to cover up the abuse.
