*Updated: 11:00
Dara Calleary has stepped down from his role as Agriculture Minister with immediate effect.
It comes after he apologised last night for going to a golf event attended by 80 people that broke COVID-19 guidelines.
In a statement to the Irish Independent, Calleary's spokesperson said: “The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Dara Calleary TD is resigning as a member of the government, effective immediately.”
Taoiseach Micheál Martin was said to be "furious" with the Minister after it emerged that he had attended an event organised by the Oireachtas Golf Society.
Mr Calleary apologised on Thursday night after the story was broken by the Irish Examiner.
Mr Calleary is understood to have apologised to Taoiseach Micheál Martin while he has also expressed his regret to Green Party deputy leader Catherine Martin, Tánaiste Leo Varadkar and acting chief medical officer Dr Ronan Glynn.
It's understood EU Trade Commissioner and Kilkenny-man Phil Hogan was also there, while Waterford Fine Gael Senator John Cummins has also admitted he attended the event and has apologised for doing so.
Senator John Cummins issued a statement on Facebook earlier today, stating his attendance was a "lapse of judgement on my part which I genuinely apologise unreservedly for."
On Wednesday night I attended a function at the Station House Hotel in Clifden following a golf event at the Connemara...
Posted by Senator John Cummins on Friday, August 21, 2020
EU Trade Commissioner Phil Hogan has admitted he was also at the event.
In a statement on Twitter, he said he attended on the clear understanding that the organisers and the hotel concerned had been assured that the arrangements put in place would be in compliance with the government’s guidelines.
The Kilkenny man says prior to the event he had complied fully with the Government's quarantine requirements having been in Ireland since late July.
1) I attended the Oireachtas Golf Society dinner on Wednesday on the clear understanding that the organisers and the hotel concerned had been assured [by the Irish Hotels’ Federation] that the arrangements put in place would be in compliance with the government’s guidelines.
— Phil Hogan (@PhilHoganEU) August 21, 2020
Since last June, indoor gatherings have been restricted to 50 people under the Government's guidelines. The latest regulations state that tables in restaurants should not exceed six people from no more than three households.
