Hotel manager denies firing was homophobic

The manager of a Co Cork hotel yesterday denied sacking his leisure centre manager in a “knee-jerk homophobic reaction” on discovering his employee was running a sauna club in Shannon.

Ambassador Court Hotel, trading as Charleville Park Hotel, has been accused of unfairly dismissing Eamon Ryan, who managed the hotel’s leisure centre.

Mr Ryan, 44, a married father of one from Ballysimon, Co Limerick, acknowledged he was a director of a company running a sauna club but denied knowing his involvement in an “outside business” was a sackable offence.