Hi °C | Lo °C Senator Martin McAleese — the Co Antrim-born husband of former Irish President Mary McAleese — has not cast a single vote in the upper house of the Republic’s parliament.
Mr McAleese was appointed to the Seanad by Taoiseach Enda Kenny last May in recognition of his outstanding work in the peace process.
But a probe has found no evidence of him ever casting a vote.
Mr McAleese is well regarded by his fellow senators for his work in persuading the Orange Order to attend the Seanad for the first time ever in July, and has reached out to loyalists through a number of initiatives. But a Seanad source said they were puzzled by his failure to cast any votes.
When contacted, Mr McAleese did not give any specific explanation for why he had not taken part in Seanad votes even when he was actually present.
But he said that the vast majority of his senatorial work took place outside the chamber.
He has a reasonable attendance record of 82% for the first six months of this year, turning up for 59 out of the 72 sitting days.
