Hogan resignation: a sorry saga that has wound its way to an inevitable end

The Irish Examiner's headlines surrounding Golfgate.

Phil Hogan's tenure as EU trade commissioner ended in a week of statements, poorly-received tweets and an interview on RTÉ which one government minister called "a car crash".

It started late last Thursday when the Irish Examiner revealed that over 80 people including Mr Hogan attended an Oireachtas Golf Society dinner at the Station House Hotel in Clifden, Co Galway.

The front page of the Irish Examiner's weekend edition, featuring a Harry Burton cartoon.

That night, came the first statement from a spokesperson, who would confirm only Mr Hogan's attendance at the event and said that he "complied fully" with all quarantine requirements.

That was followed on Friday morning by a pair of tweets in which Mr Hogan said that he had followed the guidance of the Station House Hotel in Clifden and of the organisers of the event.

That tweet was met poorly and attention then turned to Mr Hogan's movements, particularly as he had been staying at an apartment in The K Club in Straffan, Co Kildare. With Kildare having gone into localised lockdown on August 7, questions were asked about whether he breached this lockdown.

A statement was issued where a spokesperson confirmed "that he did not breach government guidelines relating to County Kildare.

The Irish Examiner's headlines surrounding Golfgate.

Seeking clarity, the spokesperson was asked for a timeline of Mr Hogan's moves. A statement said there was "no question" of him having breached the localised lockdown in Kildare.

"I can confirm that the commissioner went to Co Kildare on his return to Ireland at the end of July. He left Co Kildare for a medical appointment on August 5 (before the lockdown was introduced at midnight on August 7). Immediately on the conclusion of that medical appointment, he went to Co Kilkenny for a period of convalescence and went from there to Co Galway for the golf event."

Friday evening saw another statement, which said that Mr Hogan was sorry for his attendance, but took little in the way of personal responsibility.

"The commissioner has apologised for his attendance at the dinner and reiterated that he would not have attended had he thought that the event was not in full compliance with government guidelines.” 

On Saturday morning, Mr Hogan returned to Brussels aboard a Ryanair flight which sources say was booked the previous afternoon, though a spokesperson could not confirm when the flight was booked.

That evening, the Taoiseach and the Tánaiste issued a joint statement, saying they had each spoken to Mr Hogan and asked him to "consider his position", saying that the timing of his apology was an issue.

On Sunday, a more thorough statement followed, in which Mr Hogan apologised "fully and unreservedly"

"I acknowledge that the issue is far bigger than compliance with rules and regulations and adherence to legalities and procedures. All of us must display solidarity as we try to stamp out this common plague.

"I thus offer this fulsome and profound apology, at this difficult time for all people, as the world as a whole combats Covid-19."

Asked for clarity on whether the commissioner would consider his position, a spokesperson said he "does not intend to resign" and said that he was "very willing" to provide a detailed timeline on his movements.

The Irish Examiner's headlines surrounding Golfgate.

Later that day it was revealed that Mr Hogan had stopped for what he would later say were handwritten notes related to the EU-US trade agreement from his Kildare apartment on the way to Galway.

It would then be confirmed that along the way to Galway Mr Hogan was stopped by gardaí for using his mobile phone.

On Monday, Mr Hogan handed his timeline of events to Ms von der Leyen, who "sought clarification" on the matter.

The Irish Examiner's headlines surrounding Golfgate.

Then came Tuesday, when Mr Hogan's full statement would be made public. It outlined his movements around Ireland, disclosing for the first time that he had undergone a Covid test in a Dublin hospital which came back negative. At the same time, the Irish Examiner revealed that Mr Hogan had stayed in the Dunraven Arms Hotel in Adare the night before playing golf at Adare Manor, when he should still have been in self-isolation. 

The dossier mentions only the golf game, which was played on the day his self-isolation period ended. A spokesperson confirmed the golf game and said Mr Hogan had travelled from Kilkenny, but that they "did not know on which date".

That was followed by the "car crash" interview, during which Mr Hogan said that he "did not accept" the HSE's guidance and was later contradicted by the HSE, Department of Health and Citizens Information Board. 

His attempts to clarify led to him tweeting that he never said that he didn't accept the HSE's guidance. His first tweet tagged a Baltimore, USA man who has not tweeted since April named Tony Connelly instead of the RTÉ journalist of the same name.

Then would come the final twist in the saga, as Mr Hogan announced that he would be stepping down from his role on Wednesday evening.