Team At Dept. Foreign Affairs "Briefly" Celebrated Ireland's Election To Security Council While Covid-19 Restricitons In Place

Wednesday, 29 December 2021 09:32

June 2020

A spokesperson for the Department of Foreign Affairs says a team briefly let its guard down by celebrating together Ireland's election to the United Nations security council, in June 2020.

The statement was in response to reports of at least 20 senior officials and staff celebrating with champagne in Iveagh House.

Strict guidelines & restrictions were in place due to the pandemic.

The Department of Foreign Affairs says the incident was 18 months ago, and steps have been taken to ensure lessons have been learned.

More from National News

Council’s Strict One-Off Rural Housing Rules Leave Naas Farmer With No Way To Rebuild Home On Her Own Land

The Judge noted that the inspector recognised her need for a new home arising from her marital separation, but explained that the “exceptional circumstances” provision in the previous Development Plan no longer exists under the current one.
RTE Will Not Broadcast Eurovision Because Israel Allowed To Compete

RTÉ - along with public broadcasters in Slovenia, Spain and the Netherlands - had warned it would boycott the 2026 contest in Vienna if Israel were admitted, citing the ongoing war in Gaza.
Revealed: Naas Hospital Sent Home Majority Of Self-Harm Patients Last Year

New figures seen by Kfm News show that Naas discharged almost sixty per cent of cases - the highest rate of non-admission in the Dublin–Midlands region.
Van Smashed Open In Keadeen Hotel Car Park As Thieves Flee With Cash And Tools

Gardaí told Kfm News that a 2012 dark blue Audi is of particular interest, after a man wearing a blue ski mask was seen getting into the vehicle around the time of the theft.
Tusla Placed Nearly 200 Adults In Children’s Care As Age-Assessment Errors Surge

Audio

In the last three years, Tulsa has mistakenly placed almost 200 international protection applicants in underage care facilities, before establishing they were over eighteen.
Kildare Braces For Childcare Price Surge As Parents Fear They May Have To Quit Work

Audio

Some parents are now concerned that they may have to quit their jobs as fees will become unsustainable.
Silencing "Scrutiny"? Kildare Cllr Says Judicial Review Backlash Narrows Who Can "Question" Power

Clane–Maynooth Independent Councillor Pádraig McEvoy - one of a group taking a High Court challenge against the Government’s new apartment planning standards - says developers, business figures some Government officials have been "repeating" the same "talking points" in recent weeks.
Kildare Communities Urged To Apply As €1m Literacy And Digital Skills Fund Reopens

Last year, a wide range of community groups across Kildare and Wicklow benefitted from literacy, wellbeing and financial-skills funding.