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Supreme Court Justice Seamus Woulfe complained last month that the “hysteria” surrounding Clifden’s golf event is damaging the course itself.
As the Irish Times reported, his comments came during a September 8 meeting with former Chief Justice Susan Denham, who recently ruled that it would be “unfair and disproportionate” if he were called to resign.
He expressed the view that Mr. Judge Woulfe should have attended the golf event without attending the dinner and should not have accepted the invitation to dinner.
According to a transcript of the meeting between them, Mr. Justice said last month that “Unfortunately, I believe that even the judges are not above prejudging, Judge, and in this state of hysteria I cannot be sure that even some of my colleagues have prejudged me. .
“I think it is more damaging to the Supreme Court if they allow some kind of theoretical harm to the institution to prevail over harassing a judge out of office without a valid reason.
He also said that the press coverage of Clifden’s dinner now appeared “objectively to be completely false, exaggerated,” adding that he felt sorry for the organizers who “had been ridiculed” for holding an event that “is somehow like a Ku Klux Klan ”.
When asked if he accepted that the scandal came after “six months of not going to baptisms, not having weddings, not being able to go to his family’s funerals,” Judge Woulfe answered yes.
“This was a very unfortunate set of circumstances and an unfortunate time. And for the media to present these people with what appeared to be a flagrant violation of regulations and guidelines was like setting off a bomb, “he said.
Meanwhile, several Supreme Court justices met with Justice Woulfe on Friday to discuss the resolution of the controversy over his attendance at the Oireachtas Golf Society’s August dinner.
Judge Woulfe is understood to consider what he was told over the weekend and is likely to meet with Chief Justice Frank Clarke early next week.
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