Golfgate: Oireachtas Golf Society annual outing to return this year in Kerry
The Irish Examiner’s Aoife Moore and Paul Hosford reveal details of the Oireachtas golf society dinner in Clifden two years ago.
The Oireachtas Golf Society annual outing will return again this year after charges against the organisers of the 2020 event were dismissed.
The society had been disbanded in the aftermath of the ‘Golfgate’ scandal that was revealed by the Irish Examiner, but it has since been reinstated.
The 2022 outing will take place in Kerry on August 19, in Killarney Golf Club, with former and current members of the Oireachtas invited.
It is understood the event will go ahead over two days as usual.
A number of sources have confirmed that Independent TD Noel Grealish has been inviting people this week to come to the event.
Mr Grealish and former Fianna Fáil senator Donie Cassidy were in the Oireachtas members' bar on Tuesday, informing punters the event is back on.
Mr Cassidy brought the winner's trophy from the event with him and was showing it to customers in the bar.
The 2020 event, which took place during the height of the pandemic caused widespread outrage when it was revealed to have taken place during strict lockdown, causing the resignation of Minister for Agriculture Dara Calleary, as well as EU Commissioner Phil Hogan.
All charges relating to the 2020 Oireachtas golf society dinner were dismissed after three days of evidence in February of this year.
Mr Grealish, Mr Cassidy, and John and James Sweeney, who own the Station House Hotel in Clifden, had been on trial at Galway District Court.
They were charged with breaching regulations aimed at preventing the spread of Covid-19.
Judge Mary Fahy, presiding, said she was satisfied that the gatherings that took place at the Station House Hotel on 19 August 2020 happened in two different areas and did not constitute a breach of the regulations in place at the time.
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