John O'Donoghue expenses controversy
Encyclopedia
The John O'Donoghue expenses controversy refers to a 2009 political controversy in Ireland surrounding former Ceann Comhairle
John O'Donoghue
. He was pursued by various allegations over his expenses claims in Ireland's Sunday newspapers over several months. He spent €250,000 in his time as Ceann Comhairle and €550,000 in his time as Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism
. His wife Kate-Ann also enjoyed many of the expenses. Tabloid newspapers referred to the politician with titles such as "Johnny Cash
". The Irish Green Party
, junior coalition partners in government, requested a reform of the system following the revelations. The accountant in charge of expenses had also resigned in protest at the system. O'Donoghue was the first Ceann Comhairle to forcefully resign; however, Patrick Hogan
resigned the post for health reasons in 1967.
O'Donoghue announced his resignation from the position of Ceann Comhairle on the evening of 6 October 2009, effective as of 13 October 2009. The Irish Independent
opined: "Were Louis the XIV
around today, the Sun King would likely be envious of the lavish style that John O'Donoghue brought to public office". The Australian
noted that the controversy followed just three months after a similar one brought down Michael Martin
of the United Kingdom
. The Observer
blamed his fall on "a keen interest in racing", particularly his trips to Aintree
, Cheltenham
and the Melbourne Cup
. David Sharrock of The Times
suggested the government was "close to collapse" and contrasted the expenses with a report that one school in Ireland had requested children to bring their own toilet paper to classes.
O'Donoghue and Brendan Howlin
shared a "working dinner" in June 2007. The cost of the €293 meal was paid for by O'Donoghue. He also dined regularly in Michelin
-starred restaurants, on many occasions with his wife.
Four trips to Britain in 2006 and 2007 led to €21,000 expenses claims for hiring cars.
He claimed expenses on a £1 sterling donation which he personally gave to UNICEF when in Scotland
. The total bill for his stay there from 21 January until 24 January 2009 came to €801.70.
He regularly attended horse racing sessions and even brought his wife, secretary and other officials to the Melbourne Cup
in Australia
in 2003. He returned in 2005, telling a magazine the following year that: "There's nothing quite like Melbourne Cup day in Australia".
He claimed expenses of €600 on a limousine to take him to horse racing at Aintree
.
He claimed for another limousine to carry him between terminals at Heathrow Airport in London
. The total claimed for this limousine was €472.
He claimed nearly €900 per night for a 2006 stay in the Radisson Hotel in Liverpool
.
He resided in one hotel in Paris
where rooms cost €633 per night.
Many of the expenses were claimed for tips he gave — one of these amounted to almost €200.
He purchased many gifts such as €882 worth of items from the House of Ireland shop and 2006 Midleton whiskey which totalled €135.
€4,956 was claimed on the hire of limousines during a trip to several cities in the United States
.
€11,869 in expenses was claimed on advertisements displayed in local newspapers in his native Kerry.
On 6 October 2009, it was revealed that O'Donoghue had spent more than €20,000 at nine different race meetings internationally over the four-year period of 2003–2007.
in which he said he had done nothing wrong. He made his first public comments on his expenses on 15 September 2009 whilst attending the races in Listowel, claiming to have "behaved in good faith and with probity throughout" and ending with "in so far as one regrets something, I think that is an apology". The following day, O'Donoghue made a proper public apology for his expenses claimed while in office as Irish Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism
. He also issued a statement, saying: "I was not aware of the cost of these arrangements. When I read the detail in the past weeks, I was embarrassed that such costs were associated with some of the arrangements made on my behalf".
O'Donoghue released his expenses record for the previous two years on 2 October 2009. These revealed foreign travels bills totalling €45,000, €13,000 for the hiring of cars and limousines to travel between airport terminals when outside Ireland and slightly less than €5,000 in total in fees for VIP lounges. Sinn Féin
were the first party to call for O'Donoughue to resign, with Dail leader Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin
stating O'Donoghues position was untenable given "a continued waste of public money" since he took the job.
Eamon Gilmore
, leader of the Labour Party
, openly expressed an opinion that O'Donoghue was bringing the office of Ceann Comhairle into disrepute and requested a meeting with the leaders of Dáil Éireann
's other political parties on the matter. Enda Kenny
, leader of Fine Gael
, called on O'Donoghue to sort himself out or he would be expected to resign. John Gormley
, leader of Green Party
, asked for the matter to be resolved urgently. O'Donoghue responded to these criticisms by saying he would address the Oireachtas Commission where he would give "detailed proposals". He announced details of his resignation as Ceann Comhairle at 22:30 the following evening after pressure from Gilmore, who said his reign was now "untenable", backed by Kenny. However, Kenny requested that he resign the role with immediate effect. O'Donoghue quit the post on 13 October 2009. Before doing so he made a statement on his expenses. Séamus Kirk
was elected his successor.
It was later revealed that O'Donoghue had told Gilmore twice via telephone before his resignation not to "do anything precipitous".
Bertie Ahern
, at a book signing in Belfast
to promote the release of his autobiography, expressed his sorrow for O'Donoghue. Ahern nominated O'Donoghue for the position of Ceann Comhairle in 2007. He told BBC Radio
:
on RTÉ One
to defend O'Donoghue, claiming he had been "dumped on".
Irish Minister for Finance
Brian Lenihan, Jnr
criticised the forceful nature of O'Donoghue's resignation, claiming he had not been allowed to explain himself.
Irish Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism
Martin Cullen
accused the media of having "extremely distorted" the expenses claims. He criticised what he termed as "the denigration of decent people who had served for a long period of time", claiming that "anybody that goes abroad for this country [Ireland] works extremely hard, and it is unfortunate that it is presented all the time as some kind of junket". He also claimed he would prefer to spend Saint Patrick's Day
at home "rather than attending 24 functions in 48 hours" as was the case in 2009, according to Cullen.
Irish Minister for Foreign Affairs
Micheál Martin
described the expenses situation as "damaging".
Deputy Jackie Healy-Rae
said on Radio Kerry
:
Kerry
former footballer and manager Páidí Ó Sé
said on Newstalk:
Mayor of Kilkenny
, Malcolm Noonan of the Green Party, reacted positively to O'Donoghue's resignation, saying "Oireachtas
members are well paid for their work, there should be absolutely no abuse of the system" particularly whilst "so many people and communities are suffering".
Gerald Kean
, a prominent celebrity solicitor, said O'Donoghue's behaviour was "absolutely, totally unacceptable".
Further revelations were also disclosed, including €1,000 spent on two tickets for the 2007 Rugby World Cup Final
in Paris
, despite O'Donoghue being Ceann Comhairle at that time and no longer Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism. The tickets were requested from the Irish Sports Council
by O'Donoghue; the Council explained: "It was decided to offer him the tickets on a complimentary basis in recognition of his efforts on behalf of Irish sport".
Ceann Comhairle
The Ceann Comhairle is the chairman of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas of Ireland. The person who holds the position is elected by members of the Dáil from among their number in the first session after each general election...
John O'Donoghue
John O'Donoghue (politician)
John O'Donoghue is a former Irish Fianna Fáil politician. He was a Teachta Dála for the Kerry South constituency from 1987 to 2011. He is a former Ceann Comhairle of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas. He resigned as Ceann Comhairle on 13 October 2009 due to controversy about his...
. He was pursued by various allegations over his expenses claims in Ireland's Sunday newspapers over several months. He spent €250,000 in his time as Ceann Comhairle and €550,000 in his time as Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism
Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism (Ireland)
The Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht is the senior minister at the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht in the Government of Ireland.The current minister is Jimmy Deenihan, TD. He is assisted by:...
. His wife Kate-Ann also enjoyed many of the expenses. Tabloid newspapers referred to the politician with titles such as "Johnny Cash
Johnny Cash
John R. "Johnny" Cash was an American singer-songwriter, actor, and author, who has been called one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century...
". The Irish Green Party
Green Party (Ireland)
The Green Party is a green political party in Ireland. It was founded as the Ecology Party of Ireland in 1981 by Dublin teacher Christopher Fettes. The party became the Green Alliance in 1983 and in 1987 was renamed to its current title in English...
, junior coalition partners in government, requested a reform of the system following the revelations. The accountant in charge of expenses had also resigned in protest at the system. O'Donoghue was the first Ceann Comhairle to forcefully resign; however, Patrick Hogan
Patrick Hogan (Ceann Comhairle)
Patrick Hogan was a long-serving Irish politician. He served as Ceann Comhairle of Dáil Éireann from 1951 to 1967.- Early life :Hogan's birth date is uncertain...
resigned the post for health reasons in 1967.
O'Donoghue announced his resignation from the position of Ceann Comhairle on the evening of 6 October 2009, effective as of 13 October 2009. The Irish Independent
Irish Independent
The Irish Independent is Ireland's largest-selling daily newspaper that is published in both compact and broadsheet formats. It is the flagship publication of Independent News & Media.-History:...
opined: "Were Louis the XIV
Louis XIV of France
Louis XIV , known as Louis the Great or the Sun King , was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and Navarre. His reign, from 1643 to his death in 1715, began at the age of four and lasted seventy-two years, three months, and eighteen days...
around today, the Sun King would likely be envious of the lavish style that John O'Donoghue brought to public office". The Australian
The Australian
The Australian is a broadsheet newspaper published in Australia from Monday to Saturday each week since 14 July 1964. The editor in chief is Chris Mitchell, the editor is Clive Mathieson and the 'editor-at-large' is Paul Kelly....
noted that the controversy followed just three months after a similar one brought down Michael Martin
Michael Martin (politician)
Michael John Martin, Baron Martin of Springburn, PC is a British politician, who was the Member of Parliament for Glasgow Springburn from 1979 to 2005, and then for Glasgow North East until 2009...
of the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. The Observer
The Observer
The Observer is a British newspaper, published on Sundays. In the same place on the political spectrum as its daily sister paper The Guardian, which acquired it in 1993, it takes a liberal or social democratic line on most issues. It is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper.-Origins:The first issue,...
blamed his fall on "a keen interest in racing", particularly his trips to Aintree
Aintree
Aintree is a village and civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton, Merseyside. It lies between Walton and Maghull on the A59 road, about north of Liverpool city centre, in North West England....
, Cheltenham
Cheltenham
Cheltenham , also known as Cheltenham Spa, is a large spa town and borough in Gloucestershire, on the edge of the Cotswolds in the South-West region of England. It is the home of the flagship race of British steeplechase horse racing, the Gold Cup, the main event of the Cheltenham Festival held...
and the Melbourne Cup
Melbourne Cup
The Melbourne Cup is Australia's major Thoroughbred horse race. Marketed as "the race that stops a nation", it is a 3,200 metre race for three-year-olds and over. It is the richest "two-mile" handicap in the world, and one of the richest turf races...
. David Sharrock of The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
suggested the government was "close to collapse" and contrasted the expenses with a report that one school in Ireland had requested children to bring their own toilet paper to classes.
Details of expenses
As Ceann Comhairle, O'Donoghue employed seven more office staff than the previous Ceann Comhairle who managed with three staff.O'Donoghue and Brendan Howlin
Brendan Howlin
Brendan Howlin is an Irish Labour Party politician who has served as a Teachta Dála for Wexford since 1987. Currently the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, he previously served as Leas-Cheann Comhairle, Minister for the Environment and Minister for Health.-Early life:Born into a highly...
shared a "working dinner" in June 2007. The cost of the €293 meal was paid for by O'Donoghue. He also dined regularly in Michelin
Michelin
Michelin is a tyre manufacturer based in Clermont-Ferrand in the Auvergne région of France. It is one of the two largest tyre manufacturers in the world along with Bridgestone. In addition to the Michelin brand, it also owns the BFGoodrich, Kleber, Riken, Kormoran and Uniroyal tyre brands...
-starred restaurants, on many occasions with his wife.
Four trips to Britain in 2006 and 2007 led to €21,000 expenses claims for hiring cars.
He claimed expenses on a £1 sterling donation which he personally gave to UNICEF when in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. The total bill for his stay there from 21 January until 24 January 2009 came to €801.70.
He regularly attended horse racing sessions and even brought his wife, secretary and other officials to the Melbourne Cup
Melbourne Cup
The Melbourne Cup is Australia's major Thoroughbred horse race. Marketed as "the race that stops a nation", it is a 3,200 metre race for three-year-olds and over. It is the richest "two-mile" handicap in the world, and one of the richest turf races...
in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
in 2003. He returned in 2005, telling a magazine the following year that: "There's nothing quite like Melbourne Cup day in Australia".
He claimed expenses of €600 on a limousine to take him to horse racing at Aintree
Aintree
Aintree is a village and civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton, Merseyside. It lies between Walton and Maghull on the A59 road, about north of Liverpool city centre, in North West England....
.
He claimed for another limousine to carry him between terminals at Heathrow Airport in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. The total claimed for this limousine was €472.
He claimed nearly €900 per night for a 2006 stay in the Radisson Hotel in Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
.
He resided in one hotel in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
where rooms cost €633 per night.
Many of the expenses were claimed for tips he gave — one of these amounted to almost €200.
He purchased many gifts such as €882 worth of items from the House of Ireland shop and 2006 Midleton whiskey which totalled €135.
€4,956 was claimed on the hire of limousines during a trip to several cities in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
€11,869 in expenses was claimed on advertisements displayed in local newspapers in his native Kerry.
On 6 October 2009, it was revealed that O'Donoghue had spent more than €20,000 at nine different race meetings internationally over the four-year period of 2003–2007.
Events surrounding resignation
On 11 September 2009, O'Donoghue sent a letter to every TDTeachta Dála
A Teachta Dála , usually abbreviated as TD in English, is a member of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas . It is the equivalent of terms such as "Member of Parliament" or "deputy" used in other states. The official translation of the term is "Deputy to the Dáil", though a more literal...
in which he said he had done nothing wrong. He made his first public comments on his expenses on 15 September 2009 whilst attending the races in Listowel, claiming to have "behaved in good faith and with probity throughout" and ending with "in so far as one regrets something, I think that is an apology". The following day, O'Donoghue made a proper public apology for his expenses claimed while in office as Irish Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism
Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism (Ireland)
The Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht is the senior minister at the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht in the Government of Ireland.The current minister is Jimmy Deenihan, TD. He is assisted by:...
. He also issued a statement, saying: "I was not aware of the cost of these arrangements. When I read the detail in the past weeks, I was embarrassed that such costs were associated with some of the arrangements made on my behalf".
O'Donoghue released his expenses record for the previous two years on 2 October 2009. These revealed foreign travels bills totalling €45,000, €13,000 for the hiring of cars and limousines to travel between airport terminals when outside Ireland and slightly less than €5,000 in total in fees for VIP lounges. Sinn Féin
Sinn Féin
Sinn Féin is a left wing, Irish republican political party in Ireland. The name is Irish for "ourselves" or "we ourselves", although it is frequently mistranslated as "ourselves alone". Originating in the Sinn Féin organisation founded in 1905 by Arthur Griffith, it took its current form in 1970...
were the first party to call for O'Donoughue to resign, with Dail leader Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin
Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin
Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin is a Sinn Féin politician from Ireland. He has been a Teachta Dála for the Cavan–Monaghan constituency since 1997 and was the parliamentary leader of Sinn Féin in Dáil Éireann from 1997–2011.-Biography:Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin was born in Monaghan in 1953. He was educated at St....
stating O'Donoghues position was untenable given "a continued waste of public money" since he took the job.
Eamon Gilmore
Eamon Gilmore
Eamon Gilmore is an Irish Labour Party politician and the current Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade. He has been the Leader of the Labour Party since September 2007, and a Teachta Dála for the Dún Laoghaire constituency since 1989, first with the Workers' Party of Ireland, and...
, leader of the Labour Party
Labour Party (Ireland)
The Labour Party is a social-democratic political party in the Republic of Ireland. The Labour Party was founded in 1912 in Clonmel, County Tipperary, by James Connolly, James Larkin and William X. O'Brien as the political wing of the Irish Trade Union Congress. Unlike the other main Irish...
, openly expressed an opinion that O'Donoghue was bringing the office of Ceann Comhairle into disrepute and requested a meeting with the leaders of Dáil Éireann
Dáil Éireann
Dáil Éireann is the lower house, but principal chamber, of the Oireachtas , which also includes the President of Ireland and Seanad Éireann . It is directly elected at least once in every five years under the system of proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote...
's other political parties on the matter. Enda Kenny
Enda Kenny
Enda Kenny is an Irish Fine Gael politician, and has been the Taoiseach since 2011. He has led Fine Gael since 2002. He served as Minister for Tourism and Trade from 1994 to 1997. He is also a two-term Vice President of the European People's Party.Kenny has been a Teachta Dála for Mayo since...
, leader of Fine Gael
Fine Gael
Fine Gael is a centre-right to centrist political party in the Republic of Ireland. It is the single largest party in Ireland in the Oireachtas, in local government, and in terms of Members of the European Parliament. The party has a membership of over 35,000...
, called on O'Donoghue to sort himself out or he would be expected to resign. John Gormley
John Gormley
John Gormley is an Irish politician. He was the leader of the Irish Green Party from 2007 to 2011, and was a Teachta Dála for the Dublin South East constituency from 1997 to 2011. He served as Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government from 2007–11...
, leader of Green Party
Green Party (Ireland)
The Green Party is a green political party in Ireland. It was founded as the Ecology Party of Ireland in 1981 by Dublin teacher Christopher Fettes. The party became the Green Alliance in 1983 and in 1987 was renamed to its current title in English...
, asked for the matter to be resolved urgently. O'Donoghue responded to these criticisms by saying he would address the Oireachtas Commission where he would give "detailed proposals". He announced details of his resignation as Ceann Comhairle at 22:30 the following evening after pressure from Gilmore, who said his reign was now "untenable", backed by Kenny. However, Kenny requested that he resign the role with immediate effect. O'Donoghue quit the post on 13 October 2009. Before doing so he made a statement on his expenses. Séamus Kirk
Séamus Kirk
Séamus Kirk is an Irish Fianna Fáil politician. He is a former Ceann Comhairle of Dáil Éireann, serving from October 2009 to March 2011. He has been a Teachta Dála for the Louth constituency since 1982.-Background:...
was elected his successor.
It was later revealed that O'Donoghue had told Gilmore twice via telephone before his resignation not to "do anything precipitous".
Reaction
Former TaoiseachTaoiseach
The Taoiseach is the head of government or prime minister of Ireland. The Taoiseach is appointed by the President upon the nomination of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas , and must, in order to remain in office, retain the support of a majority in the Dáil.The current Taoiseach is...
Bertie Ahern
Bertie Ahern
Patrick Bartholomew "Bertie" Ahern is a former Irish politician who served as Taoiseach of Ireland from 26 June 1997 to 7 May 2008....
, at a book signing in Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
to promote the release of his autobiography, expressed his sorrow for O'Donoghue. Ahern nominated O'Donoghue for the position of Ceann Comhairle in 2007. He told BBC Radio
BBC Radio
BBC Radio is a service of the British Broadcasting Corporation which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a Royal Charter since 1927. For a history of BBC radio prior to 1927 see British Broadcasting Company...
:
John O'Donoghue was an outstanding Minister for Justice, an outstanding Minister for Tourism, Arts and Sport. He did travel abroad. Tourism was an all-island subject and he went to the cultural events and sporting events and knowing John I think a lot of those events he would have been happier not to be going to. He would be happier to be down in Kerry. But that's how it goes. [...] The issue about expenses abroad, I think I've some sympathy with office holders about that because what happens is when you go abroad embassies and the people you go to organise the hotels and travel and the office holder, the ministers - in this case John O'Donoghue - would have little control over where he stays.Ahern also used a promotional television appearance on The Late Late Show
The Late Late Show (season 47)
The 47th season of The Late Late Show, the world's longest-running chat show, began on 4 September 2009. It aired on RTÉ One each Friday evening from 21:30. It was the first series to be hosted by Ryan Tubridy, the show's fourth permanent host following the resignation of Pat Kenny live on air the...
on RTÉ One
RTÉ One
RTÉ One is the flagship television channel of Raidió Teilifís Éireann , and it is the most popular and most watched television channel in Ireland. It was launched as Telefís Éireann on 31 December 1961, it was renamed RTÉ Television in 1966, and it was renamed as RTÉ One upon the launch of RTÉ...
to defend O'Donoghue, claiming he had been "dumped on".
Irish Minister for Finance
Minister for Finance (Ireland)
The Minister for Finance is the title held by the Irish government minister responsible for all financial and monetary matters. The office-holder controls the Department of Finance and is considered one of the most important members of the Government of Ireland.The current Minister for Finance is...
Brian Lenihan, Jnr
Brian Lenihan, Jnr
Brian Joseph Lenihan was an Irish Fianna Fáil politician and barrister who served in the government of Ireland as Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform from 2007 to 2008 and as Minister for Finance from 2008 to 2011...
criticised the forceful nature of O'Donoghue's resignation, claiming he had not been allowed to explain himself.
Irish Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism
Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism (Ireland)
The Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht is the senior minister at the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht in the Government of Ireland.The current minister is Jimmy Deenihan, TD. He is assisted by:...
Martin Cullen
Martin Cullen
Martin Cullen is a former Irish Fianna Fáil politician. He was a Teachta Dála for the Waterford constituency. Cullen was a member of Seanad Éireann and served as Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government , Minister for Transport and Minister for Social and Family Affairs and...
accused the media of having "extremely distorted" the expenses claims. He criticised what he termed as "the denigration of decent people who had served for a long period of time", claiming that "anybody that goes abroad for this country [Ireland] works extremely hard, and it is unfortunate that it is presented all the time as some kind of junket". He also claimed he would prefer to spend Saint Patrick's Day
Saint Patrick's Day
Saint Patrick's Day is a religious holiday celebrated internationally on 17 March. It commemorates Saint Patrick , the most commonly recognised of the patron saints of :Ireland, and the arrival of Christianity in Ireland. It is observed by the Catholic Church, the Anglican Communion , the Eastern...
at home "rather than attending 24 functions in 48 hours" as was the case in 2009, according to Cullen.
Irish Minister for Foreign Affairs
Minister for Foreign Affairs (Ireland)
The Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade is the senior minister at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in the Government of Ireland. Its headquarters are at Iveagh House, on St Stephen's Green in Dublin; "Iveagh House" is often used as a metonym for the department as a whole.The current...
Micheál Martin
Micheál Martin
Micheál Martin is an Irish politician who has been leader of Fianna Fáil since January 2011. He is a Teachta Dála for the Cork South Central constituency...
described the expenses situation as "damaging".
Deputy Jackie Healy-Rae
Jackie Healy-Rae
Jackie Healy-Rae is a former Irish politician who served as an Independent Teachta Dála for the Kerry South constituency from 1997 to 2011.-Early and private life:...
said on Radio Kerry
Radio Kerry
Radio Kerry is a full service, licensed radio station that operates from the franchise area of County Kerry in Southwest Ireland.Radio Kerry was established in 1989 and began broadcasting on July 14 1990. The station headquarters are in Tralee, the principal town of County Kerry, with remote...
:
This is a sad situation to see John O'Donoghue go like this [...] The man was hounded out of office, there's no doubt about it.
Kerry
Kerry GAA
The Kerry County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Kerry...
former footballer and manager Páidí Ó Sé
Páidí Ó Sé
Páidí Ó Sé is a retired Irish Gaelic football manager and former player. He played football with his local club An Ghaeltacht and was a member of the Kerry senior inter-county team from 1975 until 1987...
said on Newstalk:
Eamon Gilmore got the head of John O'Donoghue, and what Fine Gael is trying to do now is to get the left ear of his decapitated head.
Mayor of Kilkenny
Kilkenny
Kilkenny is a city and is the county town of the eponymous County Kilkenny in Ireland. It is situated on both banks of the River Nore in the province of Leinster, in the south-east of Ireland...
, Malcolm Noonan of the Green Party, reacted positively to O'Donoghue's resignation, saying "Oireachtas
Oireachtas
The Oireachtas , sometimes referred to as Oireachtas Éireann, is the "national parliament" or legislature of Ireland. The Oireachtas consists of:*The President of Ireland*The two Houses of the Oireachtas :**Dáil Éireann...
members are well paid for their work, there should be absolutely no abuse of the system" particularly whilst "so many people and communities are suffering".
Gerald Kean
Gerald Kean
Gerald Kean is an Irish celebrity solicitor from County Cork. He is regularly the subject of social columns, particularly in the Sunday newspapers which have reported his lavish spending sprees and sun holidays involving his wife and other people, with The Irish Times once describing him as having...
, a prominent celebrity solicitor, said O'Donoghue's behaviour was "absolutely, totally unacceptable".
Aftermath
O'Donoghue received €112,000, described as a "golden parachute" payment. He announced his intention to seek election again at the next opportunity — "standing for re-election in South Kerry, definitely". He lost his seat at the 2011 general election.Further revelations were also disclosed, including €1,000 spent on two tickets for the 2007 Rugby World Cup Final
2007 Rugby World Cup Final
The 2007 Rugby World Cup Final was a rugby union match, played on Saturday, 20 October 2007 at the Stade de France, Saint-Denis, Paris. The match determined the winner of the 2007 Rugby World Cup and the de facto world champions for the next four years...
in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, despite O'Donoghue being Ceann Comhairle at that time and no longer Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism. The tickets were requested from the Irish Sports Council
Irish Sports Council
The Irish Sports Council or ISC is the organisation which directs the development of sport within the Ireland.The ISC is a statutory authority and was established in July 1999 under powers provided by the Irish Sports Council Act...
by O'Donoghue; the Council explained: "It was decided to offer him the tickets on a complimentary basis in recognition of his efforts on behalf of Irish sport".
External links
- Letter sent to all members of Dáil ÉireannDáil ÉireannDáil Éireann is the lower house, but principal chamber, of the Oireachtas , which also includes the President of Ireland and Seanad Éireann . It is directly elected at least once in every five years under the system of proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote...
by John O'Donoghue - Statement of apology for expenses as Minister for Arts, Sport and TourismMinister for Arts, Sport and Tourism (Ireland)The Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht is the senior minister at the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht in the Government of Ireland.The current minister is Jimmy Deenihan, TD. He is assisted by:...
- Speech by outgoing Ceann ComhairleCeann ComhairleThe Ceann Comhairle is the chairman of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas of Ireland. The person who holds the position is elected by members of the Dáil from among their number in the first session after each general election...
John O'DonoghueJohn O'Donoghue (politician)John O'Donoghue is a former Irish Fianna Fáil politician. He was a Teachta Dála for the Kerry South constituency from 1987 to 2011. He is a former Ceann Comhairle of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas. He resigned as Ceann Comhairle on 13 October 2009 due to controversy about his...
(Watch) - News coverage of O'Donoghue's resignation on RTÉRaidió Teilifís ÉireannRaidió Teilifís Éireann is a semi-state company and the public service broadcaster of Ireland. It both produces programmes and broadcasts them on television, radio and the Internet. The radio service began on January 1, 1926, while regular television broadcasts began on December 31, 1961, making...