Golfgate: Fine Gael restores party whip to senators who attended

Sentors Jerry Buttimer, Paddy Burke and John Cummins had the whip removed after attending the Oireachtas Golf Society dinner last August.

Senator Jerry Buttimer, who was one of three Fine Gael senators to lose the party whip after attending the Oireachtas Golf Society dinner last summer. File photo: Gareth Chaney/Collins

Three Fine Gael senators who lost the party whip over their attendance at last summer's Oireachtas Golf Society dinner have had their membership reinstated.

The Fine Gael parliamentary party today unanimously agreed to the reinstatement of senators Jerry Buttimer, Paddy Burke and John Cummins. The motion for the reinstatement was brought by Tánaiste Leo Varadkar, sources said.

The three were among over 80 people to attend the dinner in Galway last summer, an event which would lead to the resignation of both Agriculture Minister Dara Calleary and European Commissioner Phil Hogan. While all three lost the party whip, Mr Buttimer would also resign his role as Leas Cathaoirleach of the Seanad after his attendance was made public.

He has said that he was "mortified" by the issue as all three men apologised for their attendance at the event in August.

"I compromised the work of all those people who had done so much, and the collective sacrifice of the people, by attending the event," Mr Buttimer said, speaking about the matter in early September.

"I am cognizant of the responsibility placed on me, and conscious that I let people down. It was important for me to listen to the public anger."

Mr Cummins said at the time that he had considered resigning, but instead wanted to make up for his mistakes "rather than walking away from them" and wanted to "regain the trust" of the people of Waterford.

Mr Burke also apologised for his attendance, saying that it was "an error of judgement".