Daniel McConnell: Coveney allowed Champagne-gate to become political firestorm

Simon Coveney has only himself to blame for the damage caused to him by the party at the Department of Foreign Affairs

The now notorious photo of Niall Burgess and officials at the Department of Foreign Affairs celebrating Ireland's being voted on to the UN Security Council.

The report into the so-called Champagne-gate party at the Department of Foreign Affairs was commissioned by under-fire minister Simon Coveney a few weeks back, and has now been published.

Given it was handed to the current secretary general Joe Hackett to investigate, he was never likely to seek the head of his immediate predecessor, Niall Burgess.