O’ROURKE SHOW A GOLFGATE VICTIM

Retired RTÉ star forced to drop plan for return

BROADCASTER Seán O’Rourke has become the latest casualty of the ‘golfgate’ scandal.

RTÉ has shelved his planned political show and he will no longer be working on any projects with the state broadcaster as a result of his participation in the Oireachtas Golf Society event in Clifden.

Mr O’Rourke said in a statement yesterday that he had called many people to account over the years and now he must be called to account for his actions.

‘I spent many years with RTÉ presenting programmes on which public figures were called to account for their actions. Now I must call myself to account. The right course is to set aside our plans for my return to the airwaves,’ he said.

In its statement, RTÉ said: ‘After a meeting earlier today between RTÉ and Seán O’Rourke, it was mutually decided that Seán would not proceed with plans for future projects with RTÉ. RTÉ would like to thank Seán for his enormous contribution to broadcasting and wish him well with his future plans.’ In recent days it was reported that the recently retired broadcaster was lined up to take over the Saturday afternoon show currently hosted by Cormac Ó hEadhra.

Mr O’Rourke began his broadcasting career with RTÉ in the 1980s and has presented a host of shows including Morning Ireland, This Week and the News at One, as well as The Week in Politics.

He hosted the mid-morning show Today with Seán O’Rourke until his retirement last May.

Broadcaster Claire Byrne took over the show yesterday.

On RTÉ’s Liveline radio programme yesterday, host Katie Hannon acknowledged that many callers were seeking answers from Seán O’Rourke on his involvement in the Oireachtas Golf Society event. She said that Liveline had invited him on to the show but he had declined.

Mr O’Rourke was one of 81 people who attended the Clifden event last Wednesday.

‘To those of you wondering what if I was still asking the questions rather than facing them I just want to say: You’re right. I should not have been at the dinner in Clifden on Wednesday,’ he later tweeted.

‘I don’t have a defence. I was invited to play golf and I really didn’t consider it beyond that, other than to assume whatever was happening would be acceptable from a public health point of view,’ he said.

He added: ‘I very much regret that lack of thought and interrogation on my part, and I apologise unreservedly for it.’

‘Now I must call myself to account’

Mr O’Rourke’s wife, Caroline Murphy, was a special media adviser at the Department of Justice under Charlie Flanagan but is no longer with the department.