Golf dinner attendees in hotel bar ‘until 2.30am’
A barman has told a special District Court hearing in Galway into the Oireachtas Golf Society function in 2020 that he had served drinks to up to 30 members of the society who retired to the resident’s bar until 2.30am.
Anthony Curran was giving evidence in the case involving four men who are charged with organising the function in August 2020 which allegedly breached Covid regulations.
Today, the court also heard from a Supreme Court Judge, other hotel waiting staff, and details of statements taken from two politicians who were embroiled in the controversy.
Near the close of proceedings tonight, correspondence between gardaí and the two politicians was also read into evidence by prosecuting barrister, Eoghan Cole BL.
It came at the end of two days of evidence at a special sitting of Galway District Court, involving former Fianna Fáil senator Donie Cassidy and Galway East Independent TD Noel Grealish who, along with hoteliers John Sweeney and his son James Sweeney, have been summoned for organising the Oireachtas Golf Society event which took place during pandemic restrictions.
The trial of Mr Grealish, from Carnmore in Galway; Mr Cassidy from the Square, Castlepollard in Westmeath; John Sweeney, owner of the hotel; and his son James, the general manager of the hotel; was adjourned this evening and will resume again on February 3 and 4.
All four accused men deny the same charge, which alleges they organised or caused to organise an event at the Station House Hotel, Clifden, on August 19, 2020, for cultural, entertainment, recreation, sporting, social, community, or educational reasons in a relevant geographical location, and as a result contravened a regulation made under Section 31A (1) of the Health Act 1947, as amended, to prevent, limit, minimise, or slow the spread of Covid-19.
The alleged breach carries a maximum fine of €2,500 and/or up to six months in prison on conviction.
Earlier today, Supreme Court Judge Séamus Woulfe gave evidence of the circumstances surrounding his attendance at the event, which he said, in his opinion, was fully Covid-compliant with the regulations in place at the time.
However, shortly afterwards, barman Anthony Curran said he had served drinks to up to 30 members of the Oireachtas Golf Society who retired to the resident’s bar until 2.30am following the dinner held in the hotel earlier.
He recalled serving and clearing glasses from tables at the function and recalled using a section of a partition between two rooms which was opened to allow staff to pass between both areas.
He recalled seeing people talking at tables and after the event, 30 of them ended up in the hotel’s residents' bar, he said.
In reply to Mr Cole, Mr Curran said: “Thirty people ended up in the residents’ hotel bar.
When asked by Mr Cole how long the guests stayed in the residents’ bar, Mr Curran replied: “Until about 2.30am when we were told to stop serving them by John Sweeney. The people were standing around, drinking and talking and singing."
Mr Smyth SC put it to him that the hotel was full to capacity with guests of all kinds, and not just those attending the Golf Society function.
Residents, he said, would be entitled to be catered for in the residents’ bar.
“Not everybody in the bar may have been at the Golf ‘do’,” he suggested.
Waitress Sarah Griffiths told the trial in the afternoon that none of the guests attending the Oireachtas Golf Society dinner were wearing masks when they entered the function room that evening.
She recalled about 80 people sat down for the meal. Guests had started arriving into the hotel around 7pm and started coming into the function room at around 7.30pm, she said.
“Some were sitting [at their tables] and some were standing, talking," she said.
She, her brother Ethan, and another waitress, Ellen Conway, both of whom gave evidence, moved around the tables serving canapés to guests before the meal.
In reply to Mr Cole, who led her evidence, she said the room had been split by a partition into the Omey Suite on one side and the Kylemore Suite on the other.
“There was a gap in the middle of the room which was a door-wide for access to the bar and kitchen for staff,” she said.
Mr Cole asked her to describe the table layout.
She recalled the dinner started at 9.30pm and there were five tables in the front section and four tables in the second section with between six and 10 people at each table.
She agreed with Edward Walsh SC for the Sweeneys that she and other staff had undergone rigorous training in relation to Covid guidelines and that the Sweeneys had a “hands-on, meticulous” approach to doing everything necessary to comply with keeping everyone safe in their hotel.
Garda Inspector Peter Conlon, of the Protective Services Unit in Galway, gave evidence that he was acting Superintendent for the Salthill/Clifden district when he became aware on August 21, 2020, of an event at the hotel in Clifden on August 19, that may have been in breach of the relevant Covid-19 regulations in force at the time.
He said he became aware Sergeant Patricia Grady and Garda John Donoghue had spoken to the Sweeneys about the Oireachtas Golf Society event.
He explained he was responsible for overseeing the Garda investigation, as he was acting Superintendent at the time.
He confirmed he became aware of the event through reading both Garda’s statements following their interaction with the Sweeneys.
Both John and James Sweeney, he said, provided all information to Sgt Grady when requested regarding the event; who organised it, who attended, its location, and what took place.
He said he corresponded with the Sweeneys, seeking further information, and was told in response that on legal advice, the information he sought would not be provided, because they were not compelled to provide it.
Insp Conlon said he also corresponded with Mr Cassidy and with Mr Grealish, and received correspondence back from both of them.
He said he wrote to Mr Cassidy on September 19, 2020, regarding the alleged breaches of the regulations, informing him that it had been widely reported in the media that he was involved in organising the event and that if the guidelines were not followed at the time, he could face prosecution.
He asked to know who booked the hotel, where was the booking made, and what hotel staff was he in contact with. Inspector Conlon also asked in the letter had Mr Cassidy provided all the names and contact details of attendees to the hotel, and whether or not guests had paid for drinks at the bar or had been served at tables.
“What steps did you put in place to comply with the Health Act as organiser of this event?” he asked Mr Cassidy.
He also asked for receipts and invoices pertaining to the event, and a list of those who spoke at the event.
The inspector also looked for proof of Mr Cassidy’s correspondence with the Irish Hotels Federation regarding the regulations and guidelines for the hospitality industry which were in force at the time.
Mr Cassidy responded to the inspector’s letter on October 15, 2020, stating the Society held the two-day event, at which only one dinner was held that year. He said the event had also been moved from the clubhouse at Ballyconneely to the hotel to ensure full compliance with Covid regulations.
He was assured by the hotel the event would be fully compliant and he contacted the Irish Hotels Federation (IHF) to ensure the event could go ahead.
He told the inspector he and Mr Grealish visited the hotel the week before the event and were satisfied the function room was divided in two to satisfy the 50-person rule.
He said he arrived on the Monday at the hotel and contacted the IFH again on the Wednesday morning to ask them again for guidance, having heard new guidelines were being announced, and was told the new guidelines would not affect the function that evening, as they were not coming into effect until a few days later.
The IHF, he said, told him on the Thursday and again on the Friday that it was still seeking clarification on the new guidelines, which would restrict indoor dining to just six in each group of people.
The IHF told him, he said, that Fáilte Ireland was in the process of updating the guidelines, which would be in place the following week.
The new rule was not in force at the time of the golfing event, he said, in his letter to the inspector.
Mr Cole said Mr Cassidy received correspondence from the IHF on August 23 in the form of a media release regarding the dinner, which took place two nights beforehand, which stated: “The IHF provides general advice and had no role in giving clearance for this event…”
Mr Cole noted the time was approaching 4pm and suggested the trial be adjourned until it resumed again in February.
Mr Michael McDowell SC, instructed by Mr John Hogan BL, got to his feet and requested that a statement to the Gardaí by his client, Mr Grealish, be read into evidence before this part of the hearing concluded.
Judge Fahy obliged counsel, and Mr Cole also agreed to read the statement into evidence.
In it, Mr Grealish was at pains to point out that he had no involvement in organising the dinner, and he believed at all times that had been Mr Cassidy’s responsibility.
Mr Cole read the document into evidence. It stated that in July 2020, Mr Grealish was the outgoing captain of the Oireachtas Golf Society. On July 3, he said he went with Mr Cassidy to Ballyconneely Golf Club as his Captain’s Day outing was to be held there on August 18.
He said the Golf Club president, Donie Cassidy, also attended, as his President’s Day was planned for the following day, August 19.
They both went to the Station House Hotel afterwards, where Mr Cassidy had planned to hold the president’s dinner on Wednesday, August 19, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Society and honour the late Mark Killilea.
“I understood and was assured at all times by Donie Cassidy and the hotel that the planned President’s Day dinner function would be run fully in compliance with all Covid-19 rules and regulations,” Mr Grealish’s statement said.
“My Captain’s Day out took place on August 18 and there was no Captain’s dinner that evening.
“Donie Cassidy said he would call the chairman of the IHF and seek guidance from him. Donie left the restaurant to make that call. He returned after 10 minutes and informed me that the existing guidelines were still in place and would have effect until any new guidelines were signed into law by the minister.
“He said that information would be passed onto the hotel also.
“I am not aware of any breach of the regulations that were then in force having occurred on August 18 and 19 in relation to the president’s dinner.
"I had no responsibilty for the arrangements in relation to the dinner event and had no dealings with the hotel management in relation to that event.
“I believe that if there was any correspondence on booking for the holding of the President’s dinner, it would have occurred between Donie Cassidy and the hotel,” Mr Grealish’s statement concluded.
Judge Fahy then adjourned the case until February 3.
She informed counsel earlier in the day she had set aside both February 3 and 4 to finalise the hearing.
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