O'Donoghue bows out of Roses event

THE OIREACHTAS yesterday sought to clarify confusion surrounding the cancellation of an event for Rose of Tralee finalists in Leinster House that was to be hosted by Ceann Comhairle John O’Donoghue.

The festival is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year and had scheduled a visit to Dáil Éireann yesterday by finalists from Ireland and from diaspora communities abroad as part of the week-long celebrations.

Its website stated that during the visit, the Roses would be “greeted by the Ceann Comhairle and Kerryman John O’Donoghue” at a private reception.

Oireachtas officials initially said yesterday that the event had been cancelled “weeks ago” because of ongoing construction work in the Leinster House complex.

However, the Rose finalists went ahead with a visit to Leinster House yesterday and were given a tour of the building and of the Dáil chamber, notwithstanding the construction work in the complex.

Mr O’Donoghue was not present in the House yesterday.

The visit was hosted by Kerry Fianna Fáil Senator Mark Daly, who said he had been asked to “step in” by festival organisers several days ago and had been delighted to do so.

Prominent diplomats also took part in the event. They included US ambassador Daniel Rooney; Canadian ambassador Patrick Binns; and Australian ambassador Anne Plunkett.

Later, an Oireachtas spokesman said that the event involving the Ceann Comhairle had been cancelled 10 days earlier, on August 7th.

“It was decided that the renovation work at Leinster House was not conducive to staging such an event,” said a spokesman.

“The Ceann Comhairle and the House of the Oireachtas was keen to accommodate the Roses, so a tour was organised in the interregnum period,” added the spokesman.

Yesterday’s event would have marked Mr O’Donoghue’s first public engagement at Leinster House since it emerged that he had run up expenses bill in excess of €100,000 while on foreign trips during his period as minister of arts, sports and tourism between 2002 and 2007.

Questions were also raised about his use of the Government jet over a six-day period in 2007 during which it returned from Cannes in France to Kerry to allow Mr O’Donoghue attend an opening in his constituency.

The Ceann Comhairle’s spokesman could not be contacted yesterday.