Carlow Kilkenny TD denies that Minister Calleary was pressured to resign

A local TD is denying claims that Dara Calleary was forced to resign as Agriculture Minister.

He stepped aside from the position yesterday – just over a month after his predecessor, Barry Cowen, was sacked.

His fellow Fianna Fail TD Jennifer Murnane O’Connor says she doesn’t know for certain if he was told to step down.

But she personally believes he made the choice of his own free will.

“Personally I believe he did it himself, when he realised what he had done, he had to call it himself and rightly so. He needed to do that. He had to do it because we make the rules, we all need to abide by them. All of us are accountable, and he needs to be held accountable, he’s the Minister for Agriculture.”