Sinn Féin's deputy leader has claimed that Joan Burton has shunned invitations for two TV debates - despite having issued the challenge herself.
Mary Lou McDonald says both RTE and TV3's Vincent Browne have invited the two to take part in a head-to-head debate, after the Tánaiste issued the challenge last week.
But despite that, Deputy McDonald claims that Joan Burton has shunned both of those invitations:
A Labour Party spokesman told Today FM that the Tánaiste had recently appeared in a live head-to-head debate with Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams on RTÉ.
"Given her leader's weakness on economic issues, it's little surprise that Deputy McDonald has blanked it from memory," he said.
He added that Mary Lou McDonald and Joan Burton also addressed each other at Leaders' Questions in the Dáil every Thursday.
"Given the recovery that is under way, Deputy McDonald has been remarkably reluctant to bring up economic issues," the spokesman claimed.
The exchange came on the second day of Sinn Féin's Ard Fheis in Derry, where Martin McGuinness told delegates it was the party's ambition to be the biggest party in both the Republic and Northern Ireland by Easter 2016.
While many of the contributions focussed on the forthcoming Dáil election, which must be held by April 2016 at the latest, Mr McGuinness's comments also referred to the next elections to the Northern Ireland Assembly in Stormont.
Elections to Stormont are due to be held in May 2016, with Sinn Féin seeking to become the largest party in the Assembly so that it can claim the position of First Minister.
However, McGuinness also raised some eyebrows when he claimed that Sinn Féin was already in Government with Fine Gael and Labour, by virtue of Sinn Féin being in power in the North and with its input into the North-South Ministerial Council.
MEP Matt Carthy told delegates it was now clear that Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael would be together in the Dáil after the next election - the only question being whether they would be in coalition or on the opposition benches.
Last night delegates adopted a policy which will see Sinn Féín refuse to go into government in the Republic if that administration is 'led' by either Fine Gael or Fianna Fáil. However, the motion would not forbid the party from a coalition with those parties if Sinn Féin TDs formed the largest bloc in that coalition.
Delegates also adopted a motion which asks party members and supporters to show 'due respect' to the national flag and not to have it 'thrown around' at events.
This afternoon members will consider a range of motions on abortion, including one which would seek the repeal of the 8th Amendment, and another which would favour abortion in cases of fatal foetal abnormality.
However, other motions on the agenda would endorse the status quo in the Republic - where abortion is only permitted in cases where the life of the mother is at risk - while a rival motion would adopt a blanket pro-choice position.
