Sinn Féin accuse Irish parliament speaker of 'breathtaking' failure

The Sinn Féin leader has accused the Dáil (lower house of the Irish parliament) speaker of an "unprecedented and, frankly, breathtaking" failure to perform her duties.

Mary Lou McDonald also insisted that Verona Murphy "had to go" during a confidence vote on Wednesday.

It is the first time that a Ceann Comhairle (speaker) has faced such a vote in the history of the Dáil.

The motion of confidence in Ceann Comhairle Murphy was upheld by a vote of 96 to 71.

Speaking after the vote in the Dáil, Murphy told the chamber that she had no "ill will" and that her "door is always open".

Murphy, previously a member of the regional independent group who now support the government, was elected as the first female Ceann Comhairle in December.

During the debate on Wednesday, McDonald said the "credibility of the Ceann Comhairle now lies in tatters" having lost the confidence of the opposition.

McDonald said that "for a Ceann Comhairle to fulfil their duties they must enjoy the confidence of both government and opposition.

Murphy's tenure as Ceann Comhairle has been dominated by a row over speaking rights in the chamber of the Dáil.

Four members of a government-supporting regional independent bloc have demanded that they be allocated time to question the government.

The government drew up plans to facilitate the four TDs (members of parliament), whose colleagues are part of the coalition.

Opposition parties have accused Murphy of not properly applying the rules of the Dáil in the lead-up to a vote on that proposal.

The Dáil has had to be suspended several times in recent months with the outbreak of rowdy scenes and TDs trying to shout Murphy down.

Murphy has described the behaviour of TDs as "an absolute disgrace", accusing them of "making a holy show of yourselves".

Addressing the Dáil on Wednesday, Taoiseach Micheál Martin described the vote of confidence as "profoundly regrettable".

He accused the opposition of "having broken every single rule" in the Dáil, adding that the opposition had tried to manufacture a claim that it was the Ceann Comhairle who had behaved inappropriately.

"The arsonists are demanding that we censure the fire brigade," he said.

He was critical of both Sinn Féin and other members of the opposition, saying "that there was not one bit of good faith in the arguments" they had brought forward.

Tánaiste Simon Harris called on all those in the Dáil to work together on what lay ahead for the country.

He said, "The time for shouting, hooping and hollering is over."