Cowen tells Dáil: 'It is a mistake for which I am profoundly sorry'

Minister for Agriculture and The Marine Barry Cowen last night reiterated his apology for an incident in which he was driving while over the legal alcohol limit.

In a personal statement in the Dáil, Minister Cowen explained the circumstances of the incident.

He said that on September 18, 2016, he travelled to the All-Ireland football final with a friend.

“Before the match, I consumed two drinks and following the game, had a light meal before driving home to Offaly.

“On the way to drop my friend home, I was stopped by gardaí and asked to participate in a breathalyser test. I did so and both this test and a subsequent test at the local Garda station confirmed that I was over the legal alcohol limit.

“At the time, I held a learner driving permit because my previous provisional licence had lapsed. As such, the penalty for my offence was a €200 fine and a three-month driving ban. I subsequently secured and now hold a full, clean driving licence.”

He accepted that it was bad practice to be driving on a learner permit or provisional licence and that he should have regularised the position much sooner.

However, he explained: “The fact is that before the recent and proper reforms of the system, it was not uncommon for people of all ages and levels of experience to drive with either a provisional licence or learner permit.”

He said he was conscious that “a constant drip feed of new information can be damaging and destabilising” and for that reason he had conducted a full examination of all records that he could obtain, and the only “additional event that I have been able to identify that was not reported this morning was a failure to display a tax disc while parked in Tullamore 14 years ago, for which I paid a fine.”

He added that while he respected the right of media outlets to do their jobs, he would genuinely hope that such infractions which “I suspect many of us in this House have had to deal with in our lives would not be conflated with the altogether different offence of drink-driving for which I am responsible”.

Cowen said he decision to drive home after consuming any alcohol was “a stupid, stupid mistake.”

“It never happened before 18 September 2016 and it has never happened since. It is a mistake for which I am profoundly sorry.”

He said criticism that he had attracted for such a serious lack and lapse of judgement was fully deserved. “This grave error and my subsequent humiliation will hopefully serve to highlight the terrible dangers and consequences of drink-driving.”

He said he apologised to his family, the taoiseach, the government, his constituents and the general public.

He said earlier yesterday he had spoken with Susan Gray of Promoting Awareness, Responsibility and Care, PARC, road safety group and Donna Price of the Irish Road Victims Association and offered them an apology for the impact and hurt that this event has obviously had on many victims.

“I also offered to help and assist insofar as I can, or others should, to help rid us of the scourge of drunk driving and the example that I set.”