IHRB CFO bombshell shakes Irish horse racing governance to its core

While mystery surrounds the exact nature of Donal O’Shea’s period of “voluntary leave” from the body, it is related to an almost €400,000 payment to previous CEO Denis Egan

Former IHRB CEO Denis Egan, left, was paid a  €384,870 termination payment in September 2021, or €141,880 more than he should have received. Picture: Healy Racing

For a body that dedicates its work to protecting the integrity and reputation of Irish Horseracing, the Irish Horseracing Regulatory Board (IHRB) finds itself, as an organisation, in crisis, following extraordinary scenes at an Oireachtas Public Accounts hearing.

At the beginning of Thursday's committee session, it was announced by the chief executive of the IHRB — to the shock of everyone in attendance and watching at home — that the chief financial officer had left the organisation hours before.