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MICHEÁL Martin has defended his participation in an event at a Cork boxing club last December when public health restrictions prohibited indoor gatherings.
Taoiseach’s spokesman said the event at Blackpool’s Glen Boxing Club on December 12 “was a job and not a personal event.”
Martin presented the Paddy Martin Cup, named after his father, who was a boxing champion, to the Irish international boxer and Garda Christina Desmond at the event, which was attended by at least 12 people.
The state was in Level 3 Covid-19 restrictions at the time, meaning that indoor gatherings were prohibited. Gardaí said they are not investigating the event.
Mick O’Brien, president of the Cork County Boxing Board, defended the event. “The invitation was given, permission was given for the event to take place,” he said. “As far as I know, the permit was given to the Cork Ex-Boxers Association and a date was given through the Taoiseach office and transmitted through the Micheál Martin district office in Cork.”
O’Brien said they were asked to provide the names of the people who were attending the function, their contact numbers and their role within the association. He said the masks were available to everyone on the day and social distancing was respected during the 45-minute event.
Mr. O’Brien claimed he was not aware of the indoor meeting rules at the time, but said the Taoiseach office had granted “permission.”
The event included representatives from the organizers, the Cork Ex-Boxers Association, the Cork County Boxing Board and the Cork Boxing Fraternity.
Martin’s spokesperson said: ‘The Taoiseach visited a community boxing club at the invitation of the Cork County Boxing Board, almost four months ago, on December 12, 2020.
“Prior to the meeting, as a standard, guidance was provided to the club, including limiting the number of attendees, social distancing and wearing masks when not speaking or in photos. This was a job and not a personal event. ”Mr. Martin attended three official engagements in Cork that day, including the launch of the Rotary Remembrance Tree and visits to the Sophia Social Housing Project and Cork City FC.
A Cork Echo report from December 14 said the boxing event lasted 90 minutes and lists the names of at least 10 people who attended, in addition to Mr. Martin, his personal assistant and his security team. O’Brien said the Taoiseach security detail remained outside.
The event was highlighted by a new website Ontheditch.com that featured a video of Mr. Martin and Ms. Desmond holding the mug as they tried to distance themselves socially.
In the video, Mr. Martin tells Ms. Desmond that she can remove her mask for the photo.
The website reported that a detailed complaint had been made to gardaí about the incident. The Garda Press Office said last night: “The Taoiseach visited a community boxing club in working capacity on December 12, 2020. A Garda Síochána is not conducting an investigation into this matter.”
Online editors
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