Cathal Dervan departs role as FAI's PR and communications director

Dervan's departure was confirmed on Tuesday morning.

Cathal Dervan during the SSE Airtricity Men's Premier Division match between Shelbourne and St Patrick's Athletic. Pic: Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile

Cathal Dervan has left his role as the FAI's public relations and communications director, just 10 weeks after an “agreement in principle” had been reached over his employment grievances.

Mr Dervan elevated his complaint to the Workplace Relations Commission under two pieces of legislation, primarily surrounding an alleged alteration of his duties without his contest under the Terms of Employment (Information) Act 1994.

The former sports journalist was thrown straight into action when the man he was hired by in 2019, chief executive John Delaney, was at the centre of a financial and governance crisis.

Mr Delaney eventually later that year left the organisation he’d been head of for 14 years with a substantial payoff. Yearly accounts subsequently published showed the severance figure to be €462,000.

Mr Dervan continued to be at the forefront of the FAI’s media matters until late 2020 when he was suddenly demoted from being involved with the Ireland senior men’s team. He has since worked with the U21 squad.

Furthermore, the FAI created a new position, Director of Marketing and Communications. This was initially filled in 2022 by Louise Cassidy and, since she departed last year, Eadaoin Keane.

On February 13, the WRC issued a six-week adjournment in the employment case. John Connellan of BC Law, representing Mr Dervan, made the request on an agreed basis with the FAI’s representative, Ciaran Loughran of employer body, IBEC, at a hearing which lasted just under two minutes.

“We have a joint application for adjournment in circumstances where I can tell you terms are agreed in principle, but there is some finer detail.” 

 While FAI chief executive David Courell last week responded under questioning that Mr Dervan was still an employee, his departure was confirmed on Tuesday morning.

“As yesterday marked my final day with the FAI, I just want to thank those colleagues on the staff and the Board who were supportive and loyal over the last six years,” Mr Dervan wrote on LinkedIn.

“You know who you are and I will thank you personally in the coming days.

“To those managers, coaches and players who valued my opinion and listened to it, thank you. A particular word of thanks to Jim Crawford and his brilliant U21 crew - keep at it, you will qualify for a European finals very soon and deserve to.

“My gratitude also to my solicitor John Connellan of BC Law for his unstinting support and professionalism.”