Minister for Agriculture attends 81-person golf event in breach of health guidelines

DeanAustin

expectationlost wrote: »

where was the gold actually played in Galway?

Connemara I believe.

Phoebas

billybonkers wrote: »

Would like to see the member list of the entire golf society to know who in government knew about this event

I don't think there was anything wrong with the event when it was first organised - I think the problem arose when the covid restrictions were changed to 50 people at an indoors event.

maestroamado

For me the key question here is list of members as members of society are automatically informed and can participate if they wish.
I think all of the invites are for the wannabees and important people like Sean O'Rourke and Morocco guy.
I was talking to friend a while ago who lives UK and said on BBC and SKY.
I cannot see an out for Leo and MM, Ryan and Mary Lou really irellevant because of silence until now...

Hawthorn Tree

DeanAustin wrote: »

Connemara I believe.

Yes Connemara Golf Club aka Ballyconneely. Tough links course.

elperello

stockshares wrote: »

He's a good speaker and if you listen to him long enough youl think he's right and agree with him.

You have to remember he's very calculating and doesn't say something for nothing.

Good qualities in a politician.:)

I have no dog in this fight but you'd hardly expect his office staff to enquire about the Covid guidelines compliance of an event their boss is not attending.

Hawthorn Tree

Phoebas wrote: »

I don't think there was anything wrong with the event when it was first organised - I think the problem arose when the covid restrictions were changed to 50 people at an indoors event.

Ah now.

Its 50 including serving staff.

Its also a max of 6 per table. They had tables with 10.

And a few of the people had been in non Green list countries less than 2 weeks before.

maestroamado

maestroamado wrote: »

For me the key question here is list of members as members of society are automatically informed and can participate if they wish.
I think all of the invites are for the wannabees and important people like Sean O'Rourke and Morocco guy.
I was talking to friend a while ago who lives UK and said on BBC and SKY.
I cannot see an out for Leo and MM, Ryan and Mary Lou really irellevant because of silence until now...

It was on sky news about 15 mins ago. Just a few seconds about it.

McMurphy

Phoebas wrote: »

I don't think there was anything wrong with the event when it was first organised - I think the problem arose when the covid restrictions were changed to 50 people at an indoors event.

Whatever about the rest, that certainly puts Calleary and Seamus Woulfe in the spotlight so.

Hawthorn Tree

Covid loves to party. Remix!

This was the day before the dinner!

billybonkers

billybonkers wrote: »

Would like to see the member list of the entire golf society to know who in government knew about this event

We need to know who knew about the event!

maestroamado

Phoebas wrote: »

I don't think there was anything wrong with the event when it was first organised - I think the problem arose when the covid restrictions were changed to 50 people at an indoors event.

The problem it was the very people who changed the rules that broke same.
They should have changed the date of the rule change??

stockshares

DeanAustin wrote: »

I’ve no allegiance to FG but I do quite like Leo. It was fairly obvious today that he knew something about Hogan’s movements with the amount of times he said they had to be publicly accounted for.

However, on the invite question, that conversation was initiated by RTE and he struck me as a man just covering his arse coz he really wasn’t sure if he’d been invited. His point stands up though.

He was bull****ting on the invite. He would have either checked himself or had his staff check. Why he didn't say yes or no I don't understand. If it comes out he was invited later he will be in trouble.

Its likely he was invited and didn't want to say so because that would prove his staff knew even if he didn't.

Phoebas

Hawthorn Tree wrote: »

Ah now.

Its 50 including serving staff.

Its also a max of 6 per table. They had tables with 10.

And a few of the people had been in non Green list countries less than 2 weeks before.

I think it was 100 prior to the changes, so that would have easily allowed for the 82 attendees and staff.

I don't know who came up with the seating arrangements, if it was the attendees themselves buying a table for 6 / 8 / 10 or the hotel, and I certainly wouldn't expect anyone but the individuals themselves to know where people were travelling from.

Phoebas

maestroamado wrote: »

The problem it was the very people who changed the rules that broke same.
They should have changed the date of the rule change??

The people who made the rules and then broke them are culpable. So are the event organisers and the hotel.

The rest of the attendees much less so.

Loafing Oaf

Phoebas wrote: »

I think it was 100 prior to the changes,

Nope, 50

As reported by RTE, the limit to the number of participants allowed at indoor events under Phase Three of the Government's Roadmap must include venue staff.

As announced by Leo Varadkar at Government buildings yesterday, commencing on June 29, indoor gatherings of up to 50 people are permitted,

https://www.buzz.ie/news/50-person-limit-at-indoor-events-to-include-venue-staff-374761

stockshares

Phoebas wrote: »

I don't think there was anything wrong with the event when it was first organised - I think the problem arose when the covid restrictions were changed to 50 people at an indoors event.

I heard one of the politicians or journalists in Saturday morning say this event should have been cancelled in March along with the many others that were when Covid took hold. It might have been Dukes when he was in Rte but Im not certain.

elperello wrote: »

Good qualities in a politician.:)

I have no dog in this fight but you'd hardly expect his office staff to enquire about the Covid guidelines compliance of an event their boss is not attending.

At the time they might not have but surely they checked once this story broke whether Leo received an invite.

elperello

stockshares wrote: »

I heard one of the politicians or journalists in Saturday morning say this event should have been cancelled in March along with the many others that were when Covid took hold. It might have been Dukes when he was in Rte but Im not certain.



At the time they might not have but surely they checked once this story broke whether Leo received an invite.

You would think so wouldn't you, and then tell the boss.

Either way if an invitation was received and declined by the staff on LV's behalf why would they check any details of the organisation of the event?

Phoebas

Loafing Oaf wrote: »

Nope, 50



https://www.buzz.ie/news/50-person-limit-at-indoor-events-to-include-venue-staff-374761

I think that should be a problem for both the organisers and the hotel if they organised a bigger event from the outset.

I was under the impression that they ran fowl of new restrictions so I could understand that they might try to engineer a solution at short notice, but it looks like they tried to circumvent the restrictions from the outset.

stockshares

elperello wrote: »

You would think so wouldn't you, and then tell the boss.

Either way if an invitation was received and declined by the staff on LV's behalf why would they check any details of the organisation of the event?

The fact that it was an Oireachtas do might have raised an alarm bell. For instance "Why are members of our Oireachtas organising events during this pandemic?"

Then again maybe the invitation(if issued) was issued early this year so it would simply have been declined.

If so this would have been easy to clear up.

Phoebas

Phoebas wrote: »

I think that should be a problem for both the organisers and the hotel if they organised a bigger event from the outset.

I was under the impression that they ran fowl of new restrictions so I could understand that they might try to engineer a solution at short notice, but it looks like they tried to circumvent the restrictions from the outset.

This wasn’t just a dinner it was a couple of days of golfing.

So you tee off in your group of 4. Another group of 4 tees off (I need some help from the golfers here) 10/15 mins later. The group starting second would probably chat to the group before them and then the group after them. It’s a competition so you’ll know how many you’re competing against.

They all had a fairly good idea who would be going to dinner long before they left the course. They’re all responsible for adding to the dinner numbers. Did none of them do a quick headcount?

elperello

stockshares wrote: »

The fact that it was an Oireachtas do might have raised an alarm bell. For instance "Why are members of our Oireachtas organising events during this pandemic?"

LV's point in the interview was that it is not the job of staff in his constituency office or civil servants in his Dail office to check up on events he is not attending.

It's not a bad point.

That's about all I can say about it unless some further information comes to light.

maestroamado

I would have thought all golf society communication be done on personal email/phone as that is the only way i seen as completely separate from work though the society work related, way of breaking barriers etc. It may be different in politics as i be surprised if society golf outings anything to do with staff...

stockshares

maestroamado wrote: »

I would have thought all golf society communication be done on personal email/phone as that is the only way i seen as completely separate from work though the society work related, way of breaking barriers etc. It may be different in politics as i be surprised if society golf outings anything to do with staff...

It should be easy to clear up. There must have been an invite that he knew about and they are hiding it because he didn't try and stop the event.

expectationlost

Phoebas wrote: »

I think it was 100 prior to the changes, so that would have easily allowed for the 82 attendees and staff.

I don't know who came up with the seating arrangements, if it was the attendees themselves buying a table for 6 / 8 / 10 or the hotel, and I certainly wouldn't expect anyone but the individuals themselves to know where people were travelling from.

it was to be 100 after then 10th of August until they delayed phase 4... then it stayed at 50 (as new announced guidelines hadn't become law yet)

expectationlost

I heard a suggestion that venue was changed at the last minute, I don't if that meant without the Station House or from some other hotel... (the Abbeyglen?)

Well what more can i add that hasnt been said already??? What a total and utter sh1t show. No surprise Eurocrat Hogan was at it and of course it now emerges he was pulled in for mobile phone usage in locked down Kildare where he had grub in the K-club. He has played golf in the Netherlands only a few weeks back before travelling to Ireland (probably without quarantining himself) and now he has flown back to Belgium (probably also without quarantining himself) No rules apply to this absolute egotist. Says alot about the European Commission that they haven't told him to clear his desk and begone immediately.

No surprise by some of the names on that list. Brian Hayes (a horrible little odious smarmy individual), Calleary himself, Buttimer.....gobsh1tes one and all. These people are unwilling to follow the restrictions they placed on the whole nation.... Ive been disillusioned with the Irish political system for quite some time now, but this is a whole new low.

drunkmonkey

You must have missed the bit where MM donated a spot prize for the game, can't wait to see him explain it..

Millionaire only not

was There not few strippers present to keep the gentlemen entertained over the few days ?

drunkmonkey

drunkmonkey wrote: »

You must have missed the bit where MM donated a spot prize for the game, can't wait to see him explain it..

Lol.... I did..... Not even shocked anymore.

The political system is absolute carnage in this country. The opposition are no better. Another shower of wasters.

Sheep breeder

Would be some craic if some of the 81 contracted covid 19 and with big Phil cleared out to Brussels. What would the bald head minister do then, put the 81 back in the hotel for 14 days with the ones that have 19.