Failte Ireland Chairman on Holiday in Italy

TaurenDruid

Brooke Orange Sunburn wrote: »

And what exactly do you think he did wrong?

1. Said one thing, did another.
   
2. Head of a state agency going directly against the advice of another state agency? ("Essential travel only")
   
3. Used the excuse that it was already booked and he didn't want to disappoint anyone. Yes, and? Thousands of others in the same boar.
   
4. Got caught.

Any one of the above.

Spanish Eyes

Wonder who the new Chairman/woman will be? Is it a Government appointment does anyone know.

silver2020

Spanish Eyes wrote: »

I wonder how he was selected for Chairman of Failte Ireland. Total idiot with no conception of optics.

I would have a guess that you have made this utterly stupid comment without even a cursory glance at his experience.

Former deputy CEO of Ryanair. Former COO of ryanair, former CFO of Gowan Group. Very experienced independent corporate director (you need extensive knowledge of corporate management) including Paddy Power, kingsspan, Gowan group & Hostelworld.

He was a champion of the Wild Atlantic way, instrumental in making it a cornerstone of the western tourism drive and encouraged further branding of areas of the country.

Its Failte Ireland's loss just because some people don't like the "optics". Sad day that a country is run based on optics.

Spanish Eyes

silver2020 wrote: »

I would have a guess that you have made this utterly stupid comment without even a cursory glance at his experience.

Former deputy CEO of Ryanair. Former COO of ryanair, former CFO of Gowan Group. Very experienced independent corporate director (you need extensive knowledge of corporate management) including Paddy Power, kingsspan, Gowan group & Hostelworld.

He was a champion of the Wild Atlantic way, instrumental in making it a cornerstone of the western tourism drive and encouraged further branding of areas of the country.

Its Failte Ireland's loss just because some people don't like the "optics". Sad day that a country is run based on optics.

I really don't care about his former lives, it is the current one that matters. And no need to be insulting towards me, I'm just stating the obvious.

Jimbob1977

Italy is on the Green List

There is no issue. There is no crime.

I wish people would stop resigning due to populism and optics.

sydthebeat

Brooke Orange Sunburn wrote: »

And what exactly do you think he did wrong?

Enough for him to lose his job over


QED

TaurenDruid

silver2020 wrote: »

Its Failte Ireland's loss just because some people don't like the "optics". Sad day that a country is run based on optics.

We call it accountability. It's where you have to live by the same rules as everybody else, not "do as I say, not as I do", and not doing the exact opposite of what your own organisation and NPHET and your own minister are telling everyone else to do.

Not disputing his past record, but how do you think the next Fáilte Ireland press conference would have gone if he hadn't stood down?

TaurenDruid

Jimbob1977 wrote: »

Italy is on the Green List

There is no issue. There is no crime.

I wish people would stop resigning due to populism and optics.

So you realise being on the Green List means you don't need to self-isolate for 14 days after you return from there, but all other guidelines still apply, including "TRAVEL SHOULD BE RESTRICTED TO ESSENTIAL TRIPS ONLY" - and a holiday isn't.

marketty

The Irish tourism sector is in the middle of an unprecedented crisis, green list or not, surely this was a totally inappropriate trip by the man in charge of promoting tourism in Ireland!

Fuascailteoir

Brooke Orange Sunburn wrote: »

Other than the optics, he really hasn’t done anything wrong.

We are all supposed to avoid non essential travel so he has

silver2020

Spanish Eyes wrote: »

I really don't care about his former lives, it is the current one that matters. And no need to be insulting towards me, I'm just stating the obvious.

I'll just quote your post

"I wonder how he was selected for Chairman of Failte Ireland."

and I gave you his experience that showed he was more than qualified for the position.


But if you want the country run by how a clickbait newspaper sees it, god help us.

whisky_galore

Spanish Eyes wrote: »

I don't agree, he hadn't got the brains to see that he was out of step with his own message to the peasants.

Anyway, he's gone, and I admire him for going so quickly, it's a rare thing in Ireland.

It is, and more so in this Trumpian world where the usual position is to double down rather than falling on ones sword.

odyssey06

Jimbob1977 wrote: »

Italy is on the Green List
There is no issue. There is no crime.
I wish people would stop resigning due to populism and optics.

Bizarre standard. This is not a regular employee. This is a public figurehead representing a brand. You don't have to commit a crime to be guilty of professional incomptence and cause brand damage. In the context of government advice to staycation, he could not continue in the role with any credibility.

It's like the CEO of Tesco saying they shop in LIDL, or CEO of Ryanair saying they fly Aer Lingus. He had to go.

whisky_galore

odyssey06 wrote: »

Bizarre standard. This is not a regular employee. This is a public figurehead representing a brand. You don't have to commit a crime to be guilty of professional incomptence and cause brand damage. In the context of government advice to staycation, he could not continue in the role with any credibility.

It's like the CEO of Tesco saying they shop in LIDL, or CEO of Ryanair saying they fly Aer Lingus. He had to go.

If the public were not baying for his head, the hoteliers and tourism interests certainly would raise hell. His position would be untenable.

wandererz

odyssey06 wrote: »

It's like the CEO of Tesco saying they shop in LIDL, or CEO of Ryanair saying they fly Aer Lingus. He had to go.

That's the problem though. He's not the CEO but rather the Chairman. The CEO is a guy named Paul Kelly.
The Chairman's role is not to run the company but rather to have oversight over the board

screamer

He’s resigned.... Jesus most costly holiday he’ll ever take

Snow Garden

Absolute gob****e. What was he thinking? The arrogance.
At least the Green minister got him to resign quickly.

thomas 123

The apologists are out in force today.

odyssey06

wandererz wrote: »

That's the problem though. He's not the CEO but rather the Chairman. The CEO is a guy named Paul Kelly.
The Chairman's role is not to run the company but rather to have oversight over the board

Thanks for clarifying it... hmm not so sure about it now but given his behaviour has caused brand damage, and is contrary to the organisation's current strategy and goals, he still had to go.

Beechwoodspark

He either

Didn’t know the advice about non essential travel

Or

Ignored the advice

Either way he was in the wrong

expectationlost

elperello wrote: »

Former deputy CEO at Ryanair.

Spanish Eyes was right then, "no conception of optics"

Snow Garden

thomas 123 wrote: »

The apologists are out in force today.

His position was completely untenable. Simply no excuse. Defending his actions is idiocy. He was always going to resign, no choice. He might now get away with not having a load of reporters on his face at Arrivals.

thomas 123

Snow Garden wrote: »

His position was completely untenable. Simply no excuse. Defending his actions is idiocy. He was always going to resign, no choice. He might now get away with not having a load of reporters on his face at Arrivals.

I agree completely.

Masala

He still operating in Ryanair mode.... rules are for little men. Been getting his way for years... so why change his mode of operating now.

Think he forgot how it works when operating outside of a dictatorship......

elperello

expectationlost wrote: »

elperello was right then, "no conception of optics"

Just to clarify the quote you have there is not mine.

However with all due humility I must say I called this correctly as a resigning matter in an earlier post.

As for Mr Cawley's business ability there is no doubt he has had a very successful career to date.

On this occasion he was wrong and has resigned, case closed.

silver2020

screamer wrote: »

He’s resigned.... Jesus most costly holiday he’ll ever take

His fee was €20,010, so after tax circa €10k. If you want him as a keynote speaker it will cost you €5,000, so four keynote speaking engagements will get him back that if he wanted.

Somehow I suspect that it will not bother him much and he'll enjoy the rest of his holiday.

Again, sad that the country is now run by optics.

un5byh7sqpd2x0

TaurenDruid wrote: »

So you realise being on the Green List means you don't need to self-isolate for 14 days after you return from there, but all other guidelines still apply, including "TRAVEL SHOULD BE RESTRICTED TO ESSENTIAL TRIPS ONLY" - and a holiday isn't.

Wrong. Have a good read of the notice on this page - https://www.dfa.ie/ - I've highlighted the important sections below.

In accordance with Government policy, which is based on official public health advice, the Department of Foreign Affairs continues to advise against non-essential travel overseas. This includes Great Britain but does not apply to Northern Ireland. It also includes all travel by cruise ship.

Travel to a very limited set of locations is exempted from this advice. Individuals arriving into Ireland from these locations will not be required to restrict their movements upon entry. These locations currently have a ‘normal precautions’ (“green”) security status rating. As of 4 August 2020, these locations are:
...
Italy
...

un5byh7sqpd2x0

Fuascailteoir wrote: »

We are all supposed to avoid non essential travel so he has

Beechwoodspark wrote: »

He either

Didn’t know the advice about non essential travel

Or

Ignored the advice

Either way he was in the wrong

Such advice does not apply to Italy, he did nothing wrong.

Snow Garden

silver2020 wrote: »

His fee was €20,010, so after tax circa €10k. If you want him as a keynote speaker it will cost you €5,000, so four keynote speaking engagements will get him back that if he wanted.

Somehow I suspect that it will not bother him much and he'll enjoy the rest of his holiday.

Again, sad that the country is now run by optics.

I look forward to his "My Most Stupid Moves" speech on the after dinner circuit.

Is he your dad or something?

Beechwoodspark

Brooke Orange Sunburn wrote: »

Such advice does not apply to Italy, he did nothing wrong.

Dog - The advice is NON ESSENTIAL travel is to be avoided

odyssey06

Brooke Orange Sunburn wrote: »

Wrong. Have a good read of the notice on this page - https://www.dfa.ie/ - I've highlighted the important sections below.
..
Italy
...[/I]

Both the gov.ie and HSE site have:
Given the current domestic and international situation, the safest thing to do is not to travel abroad.
https://www.gov.ie/en/campaigns/75d92-covid-19-travel-advice/

This is the advice people are referring to. The DFA notice is about ensuring those who travelled to green list countries would be covered for insurance.

But the overarching government advice is not to travel abroad for non-essential reasons.

VG31

odyssey06 wrote: »

Both the gov.ie and HSE site have:
Given the current domestic and international situation, the safest thing to do is not to travel abroad.
https://www.gov.ie/en/campaigns/75d92-covid-19-travel-advice/

That recommendation is effectively meaningless, it's the DFA advice that matters.

Basically what they're saying is "you can go to a green list country if you want but we'd prefer if you holidayed in Ireland instead".

Beechwoodspark

VG31 wrote: »

That recommendation is effectively meaningless, it's the DFA advice that matters.

Basically what they're saying is "you can go to a green list country if you want but we'd prefer if you holidayed in Ireland instead".

Incorrect

They’ve said NON ESSENTIAL travel to green list or non green list - it doesn’t matter- is to be avoided

The only difference is that if someone returns from a green list country then they don’t have to quarantine for 14 days

Personally I wouldn’t have any green list but there we are

odyssey06

VG31 wrote: »

That recommendation is effectively meaningless, it's the DFA advice that matters.
Basically what they're saying is "you can go to a green list country if you want but we'd prefer if you holidayed in Ireland instead".

The DFA advice matters legally.
The government advice still matters.
If Stephen Donnelly, Michael Martin, the CMO or Leo went to Italy on hols in contradition of their own advice, they'd be expected to fall on their swords too. I think if you are in such a high prominent role in the body responsible for encourahing people to holiday in Ireland the government advice is important.

Mrsmum

Very poor judgement and arrogance. Had no choice but to resign.

TaurenDruid

Brooke Orange Sunburn wrote: »

Wrong. Have a good read of the notice on this page - https://www.dfa.ie/ - I've highlighted the important sections below.

In accordance with Government policy, which is based on official public health advice, the Department of Foreign Affairs continues to advise against non-essential travel overseas. This includes Great Britain but does not apply to Northern Ireland. It also includes all travel by cruise ship.

Travel to a very limited set of locations is exempted from this advice. Individuals arriving into Ireland from these locations will not be required to restrict their movements upon entry. These locations currently have a ‘normal precautions’ (“green”) security status rating. As of 4 August 2020, these locations are:
...
Italy
...

Now go read the gov.ie advice. Don't do non-essential travel, is what it says.

Is it slightly contradictory advice when it should say in bold block capitals on both sites "NO NON=ESSENTIAL TRAVEL!"? Yes. Should he have known better? Also yes.

Tenzor07

Mrsmum wrote: »

Very poor judgement and arrogance. Had no choice but to resign.

Bad optics sure, i'd of resigned the position too and avoided the media hullabaloo over me taking a holiday in a nice place...

But is anyone surprised? I bet the Indo, Times, Examiner etc. have photographers waiting at the Airports for Leo to return from Mykonos or Harris from Paris.....

hurikane

adrian522 wrote: »

I'm not really getting all the fake outrage on this thread.

He hasn't done anything wrong, don't see why he'd resign.
Maybe people are just looking for something to be outraged by.

Govt is not advising against travel to green list countries.

Yeah, he’s done nothing wrong. No way he’ll resign...........

Limpy

We need to see how other countries are operating. Learn from the new situation, bring fresh ideas home from holidays destinations. He should not have resigned IMO.

TimeToShine

Great timing for him to get out when the going gets tough, who in their right mind would want the head of tourism job in this day and age?

hurikane

Limpy wrote: »

We need to see how other countries are operating. Learn from the new situation, bring fresh ideas home from holidays destinations. He should not have resigned IMO.

Yeah, sure now he has more time on his hand, why don’t we send him on an all expenses around the world trip and he can report back to us plebs?

elperello

http://www.stateboards.ie/stateboards/register.htm

If anyone fancies the gig or any other State Board job you can register your interest here.

Rochester

Why do we have a Failte Ireland Chairman and and a Chief Executive of Tourism Ireland? Are they not doing the same thing?

nthclare

No doubt he's on gardener's leave too

elperello

Rochester wrote: »

Why do we have a Failte Ireland Chairman and and a Chief Executive of Tourism Ireland? Are they not doing the same thing?

Not really the same thing.

The Chairman chairs the Board which consists of people with tourism and business experience - https://www.failteireland.ie/Footer/What-We-Do/Failte-Ireland-Authority-Members.aspx

They make policy and decide on the direction of the organisation.

The CEO runs the show on a day to day basis.

Spanish Eyes

I don't think the Failte tourist offices are open due to Covid. What a joke and typical. No answer to the phones either.

But sure it was only for the furreners anyway.

Del.Monte

That tourism is as successful as it is in Ireland has little to do with Bord Failte, Failte Eireann or their various offshoots and there are far too many suits living off the industry.

beggars_bush

Wonder did he see any of the posters who post here?

beggars_bush

Del.Monte wrote: »

That tourism is as successful as it is in Ireland has little to do with Bord Failte, Failte Eireann or their various offshoots and there are far too many suits living off the industry.

Well, the money they spend on advertising and promoting abroad must be doing something

gerogerigegege

how many of our TD's have gone abroad I wonder?