Garda whistleblower challenges McEntee over disclosure handling
Detective Superintendent Brian O’Reilly says former Justice Minister Helen McEntee has not explained what legal authority allowed her to redirect his protected disclosure to Garda management. His account challenges the Government’s claim that McEntee did not compromise his confidentiality because the Garda Commissioner already knew he had made disclosures.
O’Reilly says he submitted a separate disclosure to McEntee under Ireland’s Protected Disclosures Act after raising concerns internally. The Protected Disclosures Commissioner designated the Department of Justice’s secretary general as the statutory recipient on 3 October 2023, but O’Reilly says he received no acknowledgement or feedback. He says the disclosure was redirected to An Garda Síochána on 21 December, and that his identifying details appeared in attachment titles sent to senior Garda figures, including someone implicated in his allegations.
In short
- Brian O’Reilly questions the legal basis for redirecting his disclosure.
- He says his identifying details appeared in documents sent to Garda management.
- McEntee has not publicly specified the statutory authority for her actions.
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The case for
The Government’s position may be that sending the disclosure to Garda management was an appropriate way to have the allegations assessed, particularly if the Commissioner already knew O’Reilly had made disclosures. If his identity was already known to the relevant senior officials, officials may argue that the redirection did not meaningfully compromise his confidentiality.
The case against
O’Reilly’s account raises a serious question about whether the Department had legal authority to redirect a disclosure assigned to its secretary general, and why he received no acknowledgement or feedback. Even if the Commissioner knew he had made disclosures, circulating attachment titles that identified him to senior Garda figures, including someone implicated in his allegations, could expose him to additional risks and undermine confidence in protected-disclosure safeguards.
Explained simply
In Ireland, a protected disclosure is a report made by a worker who believes they have uncovered wrongdoing at work. The Protected Disclosures Act sets rules for how such reports should be received and handled, including steps intended to protect the person making them.
Brian O’Reilly is a senior Garda officer who says he raised concerns within the police service and then sent a separate disclosure to Helen McEntee, who was Justice Minister at the time. The Protected Disclosures Commissioner assigned the Department of Justice’s secretary general to receive it. The dispute concerns how the report was passed on and whether O’Reilly’s identity was kept confidential.
The case matters because it raises questions about how government departments and the Garda handle reports about alleged wrongdoing, especially when senior officials may be involved. It also concerns the protections available to workers who report concerns.
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Originally published by Daily Mail as “I’m the Garda who Helen McEntee identified to my then boss Drew Harris after I raised serious concerns about alleged wrongdoing within An Garda Síochána. THIS is how she continues to let me, the Force, and the PUBLIC, down”.