| schema:articleBody
| - Two senior Irish politicians resigned on Friday after breaching government coronavirus guidelines to attend the parliamentary golf society's 50th anniversary dinner earlier this week. Agriculture minister Dara Calleary and deputy chair of parliament's upper chamber Jerry Buttimer quit after the event in a County Galway hotel on Wednesday gained public attention. EU trade commissioner Phil Hogan was also facing growing calls to step down for attending the event, which is now being investigated by police for alleged breaches of coronavirus legislation banning gatherings of more than 50. Hogan said on Twitter he had been assured the event was "in compliance with the government's guidelines", even as prime minister Micheal Martin said the dinner "should not have gone ahead in the manner it did". The Irish Examiner newspaper reported that 82 people -- including lawmakers and a supreme court judge -- gathered for the golf dinner. Just 24 hours earlier, Martin announced new restrictions including a ban on events at hotel restaurants and a stipulation that no more than six people should be seated at a single table when dining. The Examiner said attendees sat in groups of 10 and the room was divided, to try to follow legislation limiting diners to no more than 50. Irish police said on Friday they were investigating the event for "alleged breaches" of that legislation. Martin said in a statement he accepted Calleary's resignation after just 37 days in the position, calling it "the right decision". "People all over the country have made very difficult, personal sacrifices in their family lives and in their businesses to comply with Covid regulations," he said. Buttimer said his attendance at the event was "an unintended but serious lapse of judgement". "I apologise unreservedly for my actions this week," he added in his resignation letter. Former minister Calleary wrote on Twitter late on Thursday: "In light of the updated public health guidance this week I should not have attended the event." Calleary is the second politician to serve as agriculture minister in Ireland's new government formed at the end of June. His predecessor was sacked after controversy over a drink-driving ban. In Britain, there has been public outrage that Prime Minister Boris Johnson's most senior adviser, Dominic Cummings, kept his job despite flouting coronavirus restrictions. Housing minister Robert Jenrick also escaped sanction for breaking lockdown rules but Scotland's chief medical officer, Catherine Calderwood, was forced to quit for doing the same. University professor Neil Ferguson also stepped down from advising the UK government after breaching stay-at-home rules. jts/phz/jxb
|
![[RDF Data]](/fct/images/sw-rdf-blue.png)
![[cxml]](/fct/images/cxml_doc.png)
![[csv]](/fct/images/csv_doc.png)
![[text]](/fct/images/ntriples_doc.png)
![[turtle]](/fct/images/n3turtle_doc.png)
![[ld+json]](/fct/images/jsonld_doc.png)
![[rdf+json]](/fct/images/json_doc.png)
![[rdf+xml]](/fct/images/xml_doc.png)
![[atom+xml]](/fct/images/atom_doc.png)
![[html]](/fct/images/html_doc.png)