MILITARY VETERAN’S €4K REFUND

THE former head of the elite Army Ranger wing has refunded a €4,000 donation to his election campaign by one of his former students.

Dr Cathal Berry received the donation from Captain Brian Cournane, an acclaimed international showjumper, through his GoFundMe donation page, which has so far raised €22,780.

Capt. Cournane has represented Ireland in the Nations Cup. He joined the Cadet School of the Army – where Dr Berry was his instructor – before being posted to the Irish Army Equitation School. He retired from the army in 2014 but elected to keep his Captain title.

Capt. Cournane told the Irish Daily Mail: ‘I donated €4,000 to his GoFundMe and I didn’t real

ise it was above the threshold. I was in the cadets from 2000-2002 and he [Dr Berry] was very well liked, we all loved him.’

Capt. Cournane confirmed he would be sending a new donation of €600, the maximum permitted under Standards In Public Office Commission (SIPO) regulations.

When contacted, Dr Berry said his team had identified the donation yesterday morning, which exceeded the €600 amount limit, and provided a screenshot of correspondence with GoFundMe in relation to refunding the donation.

‘We’ve already returned [the donation],’ he said. ‘He’s [a former student] and he felt compelled to support me. He’s long retired [from the Army] but was trying to support me as best as possible.

Independent candidate Dr Berry is running in the Kildare South constituency, which is increasing from three seats to four.

The married father-of-two has been a constant thorn in the side of the Government since his retirement earlier this year, after 25 years of service, in relation to conditions for Defence Forces personnel, the grounding of two naval ships, budget underspends, as well as the troubling retention levels.

During his 25 years in the Army, Dr Berry served overseas in Syria, Chad and Kosovo.

His final appointment was as the head of the Military Medical School in The Curragh, where he spoke with every member who was leaving the force.

A spokesperson for SIPO said they do not comment on individual compliance matters.