The Daily Star Ireland
The disability worker involved in a heated exchange with Taoiseach Simon Harris in Cork yesterday expressed feeling “shaken” and described Harris’s behavior as “horrible.” Charlotte Fallon, who works with St Joseph’s Foundation, shared with The Irish Times that the encounter left her “upset” and added, “He was horrible last night.”
Fallon, who was previously McGregor’s boxing coach and accompanied him to a High Court hearing where McGregor was found guilty of assault, said she was disturbed by the interaction. She stated, “I am not going to deny that. He was totally wrong. It wasn’t very nice. I hope nobody else has to have an interaction like that ever, because it’s not very nice going home crying. He said he didn’t sleep much last night. He’s a politician.”
Fallon also mentioned that the Taoiseach called her this morning to apologize, saying, “I’m glad I got the apology.”
Harris responded to the criticism over Instagram earlier this morning, acknowledging that he should have taken the time to engage more thoughtfully.
Political parties and activists criticized the Fine Gael leader for his abrupt departure during his conversation with Fallon, who accused him of neglecting carers. The exchange, filmed by RTÉ in a Kanturk supermarket, showed Fallon passionately arguing about the Budget, saying, “We’ve fought for our money … but we are ignored.” Harris responded, “No, no, not at all,” to which she retorted, “Yes, we were.”
Harris briefly walked away after shaking her hand but returned when Fallon sarcastically remarked, “Keep shaking hands and pretend you’re a good man,” adding, “You’re not a good man,” to which he replied, “You don’t think I’m a good man?” before walking off again.
Speaking to reporters later, Harris admitted he was “annoyed” with himself for not giving Fallon more time and expressed gratitude for their subsequent conversation, which covered disability services, pay parity for section 39 workers, and means testing for carers. He appreciated her willingness to discuss these issues further and accepted her invitation to visit her workplace in Cork.
Harris reiterated his regret over the incident, stating, “I have been around the country and have had hundreds of conversations some days and I have learned a lot and I always learn a lot from listening to people and I’m very sorry that didn’t happen last night.”
When asked if fatigue played a role, Harris denied it, taking full responsibility and emphasizing his commitment to improving services for people with disabilities. He detailed plans to eliminate the means test for carers, increase therapy posts in schools, and add more special needs classes.
On Instagram Live, Harris acknowledged his failure to engage properly and reaffirmed his dedication to disability services, a commitment driven by his personal experience with his brother Adam, who has autism. He vowed to prioritize disability issues and the needs of carers, stressing, “I am really passionate about disability services. I do hope to have a longer conversation with her because I want you to know and I want her to know that I am absolutely in the business of listening, learning, and acting when it comes to disability services, I always will be.”
Tánaiste Micheál Martin recognized Harris’s apology and his acknowledgment of mishandling the situation. When asked how he would have responded, Martin said he would hope to give his contact information for further discussion, empathizing with Harris by noting that anyone can encounter difficult situations during an election campaign.
