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Taoiseach (Irish Prime Minister) Micheál Martin will ask the Dáil (Irish Parliament) to return on Monday
On Thursday night, a story broke about a dinner in a hotel in the west of Ireland that has thrown the government of the country into turmoil.
First reported in the Irish examiner, which revealed that more than 80 people had attended an Irish Parliamentary Golf Association for events in Clifden, County Galway.
Included on the guest list were a host of high-profile figures from Irish political life.
But the incident came just a day after Irish authorities tightened Covid-19 restrictions on meetings. Gardaí (Irish police) is investigating the incident after possible breaches of the regulations.
In the three days since then, two politicians, including a minister, have resigned, and Irish EU Commissioner Phil Hogan – the man who would lead the EU into Brexit free trade talks with the UK – has to get with calls to stop.
In addition to this, one of Ireland’s most seniors has been called upon to explain his presence.
Now, in the wake of #GolfGate, as it has become known, the Dáil (Irish Parliament) will return early from its summer break.
So what exactly happened? And how does one meeting cause this much disturbance?
What happened?
The Oireachtas [Irish parliament] The Golf Society dinner, which took place Wednesday at the Station House Hotel in Clifden, was attended by a host of senior politicians and notable public figures.
The timing of the event has been important.
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The manager of the Station House Hotel said he had checked with the Irish Hotel Federation to make sure the event complied with regulations
It happened the day after the Irish government changed its guidelines in the face of a growing number of Covid-19 cases.
With the tightening restrictions, the number of people allowed to attend indoor meetings was reduced from 50 to six, with some exceptions.
Are Covid-19 regulations being broken?
That will be a matter for An Garda Síochána (Irish police) to decide. An investigation has been launched.
James Sweeney, of the Station House Hotel where the event was being held, told Irish state broadcaster RTÉ that he had checked with the Irish Hotels Federation to ensure that the event complied with regulations.
He said he was told it would be like if the guests were in two separate rooms, with less than 50 people in each.
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Taoiseach Micheál Martin will ask for the Dáil on Monday
Under the previous rules, a maximum of 50 people could gather for an indoor event.
Besides this, there is also an issue about how many seats at a table.
Under the old rules, a maximum of six people were allowed to sit at a table.
The Irish examiner reported that the table plan referred 10 people to each table.
Who is involved?
A number of Irish politicians and high-profile figures find themselves on shaky ground due to their presence.
The first victim was Agriculture Minister Dara Calleary, who had issued an apology within a few hours of breaking the story on Thursday.
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Irish Minister of Agriculture Dara Calleary who resigned after attending the indoor golf club event with more than 80 people, pictured in July, before his resignation
Following this, the pressure increased, with reports that Mr Calleary had met with Taoiseach (Irish Prime Minister) Micheál Martin.
He had initially drawn a pencil for an appearance on RTÉ’s flagship news program Morning Ireland on Friday morning – but this was canceled and before the program was ready, Mr Calleary had resigned.
Since the incident, Jerry Buttimer, the Irish Senate’s leash-chatter (deputy chairman), has also resigned.
Supreme Court Judge Séamus Woulfe, who has been criticized for his role in providing legal advice to the government, has also apologized for his presence.
The other person to call for a halt is EU Trade Commissioner Phil Hogan.
Although not currently in government, Mr Hogan was nominated by Enda Kenny’s Fine Gael-led government for a position with the EU – then as Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development.
His role as Trade Commissioner, which he has held since last year, means that this controversy could have ramifications that go beyond the coast of Ireland, as he would lead free trade negotiations with the UK after Brexit.
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Phil Hogan attended the Irish Parliamentary golf event at a Galway hotel
On Sunday morning, Mr Hogan apologized “very deeply” for attending the event – but did not say he would resign.
A spokesman for the trade commissioner confirmed on RTÉ on Sunday he would not resign.
In addition to these individuals, a number of other politicians and local councilors were present and apologized.
Why is this a big deal?
The event came at a time when the Republic of Ireland has seen an increase in cases of coronavirus.
On Saturday, August 15, ahead of all the controversy, it reported 200 new cases in one day – the largest number for a single day since May.
The numbers were described by Taoist Micheál Martin as “deeply concerning”, while Ireland’s acting medical officer Dr Ronan Glynn said the reopening phase had resulted in some people “acting recklessly.”
In addition, provisional deadlines for lifting certain blocking measures have been postponed due to expiration of case numbers.
Plans to open pubs, which were polled on August 10, are now being reviewed next week.
What will happen now?
An investigation into the incident will be conducted by gardaí (Irish police) and the political fallout seems likely to continue.
On Sunday, the Irish government issued a statement confirming that Parliament would return early from its summer break.
Although it did not say that this was explicitly related to the controversy surrounding the event, opposition parties have said the action is necessary to improve confidence in the government’s response to the coronavirus pandemic.
Irish Labor leader Alan Kelly said it was “unacceptable” that there would be a delay in the return of the government.
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Sinn Féin’s Mary Lou McDonald was among those who asked the Dáil to return
“Why can the Dáil not sit down on Tuesday? We need a new Minister of Agriculture to deal with the outbreaks in meat plants,” he said.
“We also have to deal with all the confusion about restrictions and of course we have to deal with the events that have gone on over the past week.”
Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald said the Dáil needed to “start the process of public trust”, while Catherine Murphy TD, co-leader of the Social Democrats, said that “” too much was on the point for the government to wait “.
