SJAI vote to reinstate director

Mr Tony Kelly, the former director general of the Show Jumping Association of Ireland (SJAI), who resigned his post eight weeks…

Mr Tony Kelly, the former director general of the Show Jumping Association of Ireland (SJAI), who resigned his post eight weeks ago, is to be offered the job back.

The decision followed a stormy five-hour meeting of the SJAI which ended earlier this morning. Mr Kelly left the post after being put in what he described as "an untenable position" when the association's accounts for 1997 were called into question. An estimated 700 members attended the meeting at Moran's Red Cow Hotel in Dublin. Tempers became frayed as two motions to remove the association's chairwoman, Ms Bernie Brennan, and to reinstate Mr Kelly as director general were debated.

Eventually both motions were withdrawn and replaced by one calling for the reinstatement of Mr Kelly as director general which was carried. It also proposed that a fully qualified accountant be employed and appointed as company secretary. Mr Kelly was unavailable for comment.