“The Tánaiste expressed his regret at attending the Merrion Hotel outdoor event."
Taoiseach Micheál Martin has said that more "consistency" is needed on guidelines following the controversial 50 person event at the Merrion Hotel.
He stressed the need for “personal responsibility” after politicians such as Leo Varadkar attended the 50 person gathering hosted by Katherine Zappone.
“The Tánaiste expressed his regret at attending the Merrion Hotel outdoor event," Martin said in a statement to the Sunday Independent.
"While the event didn’t breach regulations, the Government accepts that further clarity and consistency on guidelines was required."
Martin added that "personal responsibility" will be "key" in the future, saying: “As we move forward, personal responsibility will be a key factor."
It comes as a number of politicians have been found to have attended large gatherings over recent weeks.
News broke on Wednesday that
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".
However, the invite to the Green Party event was reportedly sent to 3,500 members.
The news came 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 and around 50 other people.
Meanwhile, video footage also emerged online on Thursday appearing to show breaches of Covid-19 regulations at a pub in Kilgarvin owned by Independent TD Danny Healy Rae.
The video was uploaded by Radio Kerry's current affairs programme Kerry Today on Twitter, and shows a gathering in the pub with an apparent lack of mask-wearing and social distancing.
The video footage from the gathering shows Healy-Rae in attendance and posing for pictures.
