Candidate Claire Byrne said that “no more than 50 people” were in attendance at any one time.
Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan attended a large outdoor party organised by a Green Party councillor at Merrion Cricket Club after the Dublin Bay South by-election.
According to the Irish Examiner, the event was organised by Green candidate Claire Byrne on 29 July and was held “to thank those who campaigned” for her in the by-election.
The Irish Examiner reported on Wednesday that photos from the event showed Byrne alongside multiple guests, many of whom were out of their seats, with Byrne saying that “no more than 50 people were in attendance at any one time”.
“Minister Ryan attended an outdoor event at a sports club last week to thank those who campaigned in the recent by-election,” a spokesperson for Ryan told JOE.
“The health regulations allow for outdoor gatherings involving up to 200 people for a variety of reasons including social and community purposes.”
However, Fáilte Ireland’s guidelines for reopening hotels and guesthouses state that “organised events, indoor and outdoor, are not permitted” unless they are weddings or “non-social meetings, training and educational programmes considered essential to the operation of a business”.
The invite to the Green Party event was reportedly sent to 3,500 members.
The news comes after Katherine Zappone confirmed on Wednesday that she will not accept the appointment as Special Envoy on freedom of opinion and expression in a statement that failed to address a 50-person function held days before the announcement of the appointment.
Zappone issued the statement on the same day it was reported that she hosted a private outdoor function attended by the Tánaiste Leo Varadkar and around 50 other people.
The Merrion Hotel had earlier issued a statement to the Irish Independent, saying it had adhered to public health guidelines at all times throughout the event.
“Government regulations at the time allowed for outdoor events of up to 200 people, and the definition of that includes social events,” the statement read.
Varadkar said on Wednesday that he tried to be “extra careful” while attending the 50 person function held at the five-star Merrion Hotel in Dublin.
In a statement, Varadkar said that he “confirmed in advance” that the event which was attended by civil servants, politicians and friends, was compliant with Covid-19 guidelines.
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