Northern Ireland

Journalist Aoife Moore had to have counselling after trolling from Eoghan Harris-linked Twitter account

Former Sunday Independent columnist Eoghan Harris
Former Sunday Independent columnist Eoghan Harris Former Sunday Independent columnist Eoghan Harris

JOURNALIST Aoife Moore had to have counselling after an anonymous Twitter account linked to former Sunday Independent columnist Eoghan Harris sent her sexualised messages and called her a terrorist.

Derry-born Ms Moore, political correspondent for The Irish Examiner, said she had to contact gardaí after she was repeatedly trolled by the now suspended @barbarapym2 Twitter account.

"This account sent me sexualised messages about whether Mary Lou McDonald 'turned me on', the size of my arse and called me a terrorist from the month I started at the Examiner," she tweeted.

"Since then, I’ve had to go to counselling and the guards."

Ms Moore, a high-profile journalist who previously worked for the Press Association, has broken several key political stories, including internal difficulties within Sinn Féin in Derry, and an Oireachtas Golf Society event at a hotel in Co Galway which was attended by an Irish government minister and several senators in breach of health guidelines.

The Barbara J Pym Twitter account targeted several high profile people including Mr Murray; Professor Colin Harvey, of Queen's University Belfast; Co Derry citizenship campaigner Emma De Souza; journalist and author Paul Larkin and economist and broadcaster David McWilliams.

Ms De Souza said she was disturbed by news that Mr Harris was behind the account.

"Like so many I was targeted by the Barbara J Pym account with sectarian attacks," she tweeted.

"That (this) was a Sunday Independent columnist is serious. Good to see swift action from the editor."

Professor Harvey said there were "serious questions now to be answered".

"Call me naive," he tweeted."But as someone directly affected by the recent revelations, I am profoundly shocked.

"And would like answers."