Troy says hosting of Oireachtas Golf Society event was "not acceptable"

Minister of State and Fianna Fail TD for Longford/Westmeath Robert Troy has said the hosting of the Oireachtas Golf Society dinner event at a time of public health restrictions was “not acceptable”.

Troy said so many people had sacrificed so much during the pandemic and the Government needed to be able to bring people with them in regards to public health advice.

“The perception is that there is one law for the ruling class and another law for the rest of the citizens. That is not right and not acceptable.”

The Minister of State at the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, said his view was that the event was in breach of the original public health guidelines – and not just the new guidelines agreed by the Government on Tuesday.

He said he regarded Dara Calleary as a personal friend, but that he had done the honourable thing by resigning.

The decisions of Calleary and Senator Jerry Buttimer to resign as Leas-Cathaoirleach of the Seanad "have certainly helped to show that there are consequences of breaching the regulations that were put in place to protect public health."

Deputy Troy said he may well have received an email invite for the event but wasn't sure although the event was never “on his radar”.

“I wasn't at it. It was never my intention to be there. I wouldn't have been at a society meeting for the best part of two or three years,” he said.

Troy is listed as an committee member of the Oireachtas Golf Society. However, he said he had only two involvements with the society.

Troy said he was captain of the society two or three years ago. “That's the last time I would have been associated with it.”

In 2018, he brought the captain's outing to Mullingar Golf Club and was in attendance at another society event in Powerscourt Golf Club the previous year.

On both occasions, there were more former Oireachtas members in attendance than existing members, he explained.

Troy said over recent days he was in attendance at a relative's wedding – which had been postponed on two occasions – and went ahead at the third attempt with 42 people in attendance and said this was an example of the lengths the general public had gone to in complying with regulations.