Taoiseach Micheál Martin has left the door open for former Agriculture Minister and Golfgate casualty, Dara Calleary, to make a return to Cabinet in the future.
On Thursday, all charges in the ‘Golfgate’ trial over the Oireachtas Golf Society event in August 2020 were dismissed in court.
Speaking to reporters at Dublin Castle on Friday, Mr Martin said Dara Calleary paid a “very heavy price” but said his resignation “ensured the continuation of trust” between the Government and the public at a difficult time when Government has brought in tough Covid-19 restrictions.
He said there is “always a route back to Cabinet” for someone of his calibre.
He said: “First of all I would say, I accept the court decision obviously but there was a broader issue given what we had just at that time had asked the Irish people to do in terms of very severe restrictions.
“And when Dara resigned, I paid tribute to the decision he took in the sense that.
“I think Dara understood that and that sense and importance of trust between Government and the people in respect of Covid-19 and its management, the restrictions that were brought in and in many ways what he did, it was a very high price for him to pay.
“It was very dignified what he did and in many ways he ensured the continuation of that trust in terms of the issue around how we manage Covid-19 as a Government brings in restrictions.”
The Mayo TD resigned his position as Minister of Agriculture in August 2020 over his attendance at the golf society dinner in Galway.
When asked if the door was open for Mr Calleary to make a return to Cabinet, the Taoiseach said: “There is always a way back, of course, the door’s always open and there is always a way back to a person of the calibre of Dara Calleary.
“That’s clear and I think many people were taken in by the manner in which the way he responded at the time.
“It was a very heavy price.”
The Fianna Fáil leader said he accepted the court’s decision on Thursday but added: “As I say at the time and I remember it well, the lockdown in three counties, we asked people to take on board a lot of restrictions.
“A lot of people had made a lot of sacrifices in terms of their personal lives.
“Very few people attended funerals of their loved ones and so on and I think it was in that context, Dara made those points in his resignation statement at the time and he continues to play a very constructive role in politics.”
On Thursday, all charges relating to the Oireachtas golf society dinner in August 2020 were dismissed after three days of evidence.
Galway West TD Noel Grealish, former senator Donie Cassidy, and John and James Sweeney, who own the Station House Hotel in Clifden, had been on trial at Galway District Court.
Speaking to Galway Bay FM on Friday, Independent TD Noel Grealish said the fallout from the Oireachtas Golf Society dinner in Clifden had been tough on his staff and family.
He said the level of abuse he was subjected to on social media was "absolutely unreal".
