Irish minister and senator resign over golf dinner breach

DARA CALLEARY, the Irish agriculture minister, and Jerry Buttimer, the deputy chairman of the country’s senate, both resigned yesterday after attending a golf dinner that breached government Covid-19 regulations.

The two men spent Wednesday evening at the Oireachtas Golf Society’s 50th anniversary event at a Co Galway hotel with 79 other people, just one day after the cabinet announced new restrictions that included limiting indoor social gatherings to six.

Other high-profile figures in attendance included Phil Hogan, the EU trade commissioner, Séamus Woulfe, the Supreme Court judge, and Paddy Burke, a Fine Gael senator. Mr Hogan was also facing growing calls to quit yesterday.

Micheál Martin, the taoiseach, accepted Mr Calleary’s resignation, saying the minister’s choice to attend the golf event “was wrong and an error of judgment”.

In a statement, the Irish prime minister said: “People all over the country have made difficult, personal sacrifices in their family lives and in their businesses to comply with regulations.

“This event should not have gone ahead in the manner it did, given the government decision of last Tuesday.”

Mr Calleary had been agriculture minister for just 37 days, after he replaced Barry Cowen, who was sacked after it emerged he had a historical drink-driving conviction.

In a series of tweets on Thursday, Mr Calleary said: “I wish to apologise unreservedly to the public, from whom we are asking quite a lot at this difficult time. I also offer this apology and my sincere regret to my government colleagues.”

Meanwhile, Mr Buttimer, a Fine Gael senator, also stepped down from his position, saying it was “an unintended, but serious lapse of judgment”.

Leo Varadkar, the deputy prime minister, tweeted that he had removed the party whip from Mr Buttimer and several other attendees.