Family who lost mother just before champagne party demand apologies
FOI reveals email to Taoiseach over lack of ‘shame or sorrow’
GRIEVING citizen wrote to the Taoiseach about their distress over the champagne party at the Department of Foreign Affairs, which took place just six weeks after the writer’s mother had died alone in a nursing home during Covid lockdown.
And the writer said they could see no ‘shame, sorrow, or propriety’ in public statements about the so-called Champagne-gate affair and the infamous ‘moment of happiness’ that led to a celebration of Ireland’s successful UN Security Council bid.
In a highly personal email to Micheál Martin, the person described how they had not been able to see their mother for several weeks and could not be with her when she died in a nursing home in the spring of 2020.
The email described chaotic conditions in the nursing home at the time she died and said ‘most of those who loved her could not attend her funeral’.
They wrote: ‘I stayed within the travel limit. I did not meet people. I kept to the rules.’
The letter writer also asked for an apology from all those who attended the event, and from the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Simon Coveney.
They also wrote of how it appeared as if the country was now led by people who feel entitled to ‘champagne moments in the midst of huge tragedy’.
The correspondence was one of half a dozen emails and letters to the Department of the Taoiseach about the Champagne-gate controversy.
However, records released under Freedom of Information legislation show there were far fewer representations to the department about the champagne event than about other controversies during the pandemic, such as the Clifden golf event or Katherine Zappone’s Merrion Hotel party and abortive UN special envoy appointment.
Another correspondent wrote of how they had lost two family members – who could not be visited – during the pandemic, as well as losing their job, and said they were ‘absolutely livid’ about the event in Iveagh House.
‘No wearing masks, no social distancing, and drinking high class champagne while at work!’ they said.
‘This coming from those that set the rules, and what happens to those rule breakers? In society, they would be fined or sacked, in your alternative reality they keep the jobs and in some cases get promoted.’
Another person wrote of a litany of controversies involving public bodies or politicians, including ‘Golfgate, RTÉGate, MerrionGate, [and] IveaghGate’.
They said: ‘I probably omitted one or two of the known breaches,’ and added, ‘Don’t even think of restrictions, hypocrites!’
One person asked the Taoiseach what he was going to do about the party, saying: ‘We are all doing our part to stop this Covid.’
Another person said the public were being taken for the ‘proverbial ride’ by what they described as ‘sheer arrogance’ from the Government.
Not all of the correspondence was so strident. One person saying the ‘expressions of outrage’ were ‘somewhat ridiculous’.
They wrote: ‘Yes, it was wrong. But it was not anything like the so-called GolfGate, and on the scale of things it was quite petty.’
‘Those who loved her could not attend her funeral’