Hard hat, brass neck, time to go

John O'Donoghue and his wife Kate Ann amassed a travel bill of more than €100,000 while in the non-political office of Ceann Comhairle, travelling abroad on 14 separate occasions. Ken Foxe reports

THREE of the controversial trips taken by John O'Donoghue during his time as Ceann Comhairle were timed to coincide with major horse racing events.

The Sunday Tribune has learned that the Ceann Comhairle attended race meetings at both Longchamp and Chantilly during his official trips to France and had a chauffeur-driven car on stand-by outside one of the racecourses.

O'Donoghue and his wife amassed a travel bill of more than €100,000 in flights, hotels, transport costs and subsistence while he was in the non-political office of chairman of Dáil Eireann, travelling abroad on 14 separate occasions.

On their travels, O'Donoghue and his wife visited Hong Kong, South Africa, the US, Australia and half a dozen European cities. The couple stayed at five-star hotels costing more than €620 a night, travelled on flights costing more than €6,200 each and racked up car hire bills of close to €5,000.

During one trip, a chauffeur-driven car was dispatched to Heathrow Airport for five hours where it transported O'Donoghue and his entourage between terminals and the VIP lounge at a cost of £799.

On one three-day trip to Paris to address the parliament there, the couple spent two of the days at Longchamp races with a chauffeur-driven car waiting outside for them at a cost of more than €800, the Sunday Tribune can reveal.

Another trip to France also involved a trip to the races, where O'Donoghue is understood to have attended the meeting at Chantilly.

On yet another trip to London for the "State Opening of Parliament" in December 2008, O'Donoghue made use of the trip to visit Sandown for its winter festival of racing.

The details of his overseas travel were revealed in an FOI request released to the Sunday Tribune at 1pm on Friday at a cost of almost €600.

Two hours later, in a vain attempt to 'dump' the information on the day of the Lisbon polling, the Houses of the Oireachtas Commission released all of the FOI details to the media, hoping to bury the story amid media coverage of the referendum.

During the period in question, O'Donoghue and his wife took advantage of an astonishing 186 internal flights to transport them between Dublin, Kerry and Cork despite having use of a full-time garda driver.

Included in those 186 flights were 44 flights booked on behalf of Kate Ann O'Donoghue to transport her to official functions or to catch connecting flights at Dublin Airport.

The Ceann Comhairle has already been the subject of controversy over the estimated €550,000 in travel bills run up during his time as Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism.

He has been forced to make an official apology on two occasions and is now facing calls for his resignation over the latest revelations, which happened while in the supposedly non-political role of Ceann Comhairle.

Overseas travel for John and Kate Ann O'Donoghue began within weeks of his appointment as chairman of Dáil Eireann when they enjoyed a relatively modest trip to Edinburgh, staying at the £180-a-night Roxburghe Hotel.

The one-night trip to the Scottish capital ended up costing the taxpayer a little less than €2,000 with much of the expense related to a €1,236 bill for official transport.

A few months later, O'Donoghue's travels began in earnest when he visited Paris for a meeting with the president of the French National Assembly.

Flights for that trip cost €804 each while VIP services in the airports at Charles de Gaulle and Dublin ended up costing €957.

While there, the couple stayed at the luxury Hotel Raphael, where rooms cost €577.50 per night and enjoyed a chauffeur-driven car costing €1,543.

The expense didn't end there, however, as the couple dined with three others at the Butte Chaillot restaurant where they ran up a bill of €329.20. Other costs on that trip were €942 for a "translation service" and €243 in subsistence claims.

While there, the Ceann Comhairle even managed to spend two days enjoying the racing in his home from home at Longchamp, where he would have watched the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe.

Records from the trip show that a car was made available for O'Donoghue and his wife for use at Longchamp on 6 and 7 October.

In December, O'Donoghue headed off alone to Prague in the Czech Republic for a meeting with parliamentarians there.

Flights for that trip cost €774 while the Ceann Comhairle spent a further €667 on gifts for the visit, including one gift claim for €125 on whiskey, €98 on pottery and €2.24 on tissue paper.

Another gift claim ran to nearly €450 which included the purchase of luggage tags, business card holders, pendants, clocks, ties and cufflinks.

O'Donoghue's travels in 2008 began with a trip to Germany for another "bilateral visit" to the parliament in Berlin.

Again, the Ceann Comhairle travelled alone, running up a bill of around €1,500 with €561 spent on flights, €688 spent on gifts, and €156 on official entertainment.

One of the gifts is listed as a gavel and base and cost €172 although it is unclear who this was meant for, with the documents simply saying: "A proportion of the gifts purchased were used on this official visit."

St Patrick's Day

In March, O'Donoghue was not – for once – heading off to Cheltenham and instead had to make do with Houston, New Orleans and Washington for the St Patrick's Day festivities. Flights on this trip cost €12,404 between himself and Kate Ann with transport costs on the trip coming in at €4,956.

While in Houston for two nights, the couple stayed at the St Regis Hotel where the room rate was $330 per night and charges of $150 were incurred at the Remington Grill Restaurant.

In New Orleans, the hotel rate at the Omni was even lower at just $190 a night, according to the records with a further $50 charged to room service. Car hire for the trip topped $7,880 with one bill for $2,827 topped off with a gratuity of $565 courtesy of the Irish taxpayer.

While in Houston, O'Donoghue and his wife were dropped off at Reliant Park where a rodeo festival was taking place at the famous stadium though the documents did not make clear whether they had attended.

In April 2008, the Ceann Comhairle and Kate Ann headed to Capetown for the "Inter-Parliamentary Union Conference".

On 11 April, they flew to London Heathrow, arriving at 11.15am where they were met by a driver from Cartel Limousines who collected them and transferred them between terminals and the VIP lounge at a cost of £799.

Their connecting flight to Capetown departed just six hours after arrival at 5.30pm and they were returned to the airport by chauffeur. Each of the airline tickets cost the taxpayer €5,755.

The couple stayed eight nights in South Africa with their hotel bill at the Westin Grand coming in at €3,092.

On their return from Capetown, they were again met by a chauffeur from Cartel Limousines who charged them £470 for a few hours of driving.

Other costs on that trip are listed as €575 for "official entertainment" at the Cape Colony and €699 for travel and subsistence.

In May, O'Donoghue was off to France again for a trip to Paris and Toulouse, which coincided with the racing festival at Chantilly. On arrival in Paris, he stayed at the Hotel Raphael again with the room bill coming to €538 and flights costing a total of €1,371.

'Conference'

According to subsistence claims filed by the Ceann Comhairle, O'Donoghue was at a "conference" between 1 and 2 June in Chantilly, where the French Derby, or Prix du Jockey Club, was taking place.

He then moved on to the less salubrious Crowne Plaza Hotel in Toulouse where the rooms were €195 a night and "official entertainment" at the Bar l'Occitan cost €125.40. Other costs relating to that trip include a further bill for €261 in official entertainment, €218 in subsistence and €1,039 in "gifts" including shoehorns, key chains, clocks, mirrors and cufflinks.

A month later, the O'Donoghues were off to Lisbon for a "conference of Presidents of Parliaments".

This time, indirect flights for the two of them cost €2,022 with a further €560 paid in accommodation costs at the Hotel Tivoli.

An email confirming their booking says: "VIP has been organised for you at Dublin Airport on Thursday 19 June. You are advised to be at the VIP lounge 75 minutes before your flight departure.

"VIP has also been organised in Amsterdam on arrival. VIP has also been organised for you while transiting through London Heathrow, [an embassy official] will meet you on arrival and bring you to the VIP lounge." Incredibly, €326 was spent to have a chauffeur hired to have an official from the embassy travel to Heathrow Airport to escort the O'Donoghues to their €533 VIP lounge.

In August, the Ceann Comhairle enjoyed a summer break on a "bilateral" visit to Hong Kong, Singapore and Australia. Flights for that trip cost a total of €8,487 with a further €553 spent on gifts for dignitaries in the countries visited.

Not all costs for this trip appear to be available with only €1,202 worth of accommodation listed for 7 and 8 September in the Shangri-La hotel in Singapore.

In October 2008, the couple headed to Paris for the presentation of awards at the Prix de L'Entreprise de L'Ane.

By coincidence, the trip coincided with the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe, which was being run at Longchamp that weekend, and documents confirm the couple attended it for at least two days of their four-day junket.

Flights for that journey cost €746 each with VIP services at Dublin Airport and Charles de Gaulle adding another €1,070 to the cost. Translation services cost €629 while official entertainment in the form of a lunch in honour of Tourism Ireland set the taxpayer back €705.

During their stay, John and Kate Ann O'Donoghue stayed at the Hotel de Vigny where rooms cost €658 a night. Breakfast came to €29 each while there were further charges made to the bar. Later on in the week, the couple switched to another hotel called the Lutetia where the room rate was €270 per night.

Over the course of the next three months, O'Donoghue made three more visits to London, Edinburgh and Paris for various official functions. The total bill for those trips was small, coming to just €3,747.

On the trip to London, the cost of flights was €705, with further costs of €314 for subsistence and no cost listed for hotel accommodation.

In January 2009, O'Donoghue travelled to Edinburgh where he stayed at the £250-a-night Sheraton Grand Hotel & Spa. The total bill came to £801, which included drinks, £4.50 for laundry and a £1 donation to Unicef.

Junketeering

A trip to Paris in February ended up costing more than €2,000 with flights for €738, VIP facilities €668, a hotel for €540 and €292 in subsistence.

O'Donoghue's junketeering came to a resounding end with a trip to Savannah and Charleston for the St Patrick's Day celebrations. On that seven-day trip, the Ceann Comhairle appears to have travelled alone with his flights costing €5,016 and official entertainment coming in at €370.

Hotel rooms for his stay ended up costing over €1,800, the documents released by the Houses of the Oireachtas Commission show.

And with that, the taxpayer-funded global tour of John and Kate Ann O'Donoghue came to an abrupt halt.

They have not travelled overseas since.

Let yourself go... the cost of the Ceann Comhairle's flights

Edinburgh, 29-30 June 2007: €1,728.22
Paris, 6-8 October 2007: €6,778.72
Prague, 13-16 December 2007: €1,840.01
Berlin, 21-25 January 2008: €1,560.56
Houston, New Orleans, Washington, 13-19 March 2008: €19,867.40
Capetown, 11-19 April 2008: €16,467.84
Paris/Toulouse, 31 May – 7 Jun 2008: €3,841.54
Lisbon, 19-21 June 2008: €4,120.23
Hong Kong, Singapore, Australia 28 August – 9 Sep 2008: €15,229.63
Paris, 3-6 October 2008: €6,126.42
Belfast, 20-21 October 2008: €49.23
London, 2-6 December 2008: €1,117.60
Edinburgh, 21-24 January 2009: €1,097.12
Paris, 26-28 February 2009: €2,238.24
Savannah, Charleston, 13-20 March 2009: €7,205.98

Click on the links below to read how the Sunday Tribune broke the story from beginning to now

20th September 2009 - O'Donoghue trebles Ceann Comhairle staff numbers
20th September 2009 - Hard Hat, Brass Neck: The many questions left unanswered by Ceann Comhairle's silence
20th September 2009 - The Ceann Comhairle and his solicitor
13th September 2009 - O'Donoghue: five years in office, €550k in expenses
13th September 2009 - Dear John Sorry, We're Still Following The Money
13th September 2009 - What price information? Costly search for records
13th September 2009 - Ceann Comhairle wounds the body politic
13th September 2009 - All part of the job: Department defends travel
30th August 2009 - O'Donoghue flew to Kerry or back 73 times in a year
23rd August 2009 - O'Donoghue skipped airport shuttle to take €472 car ride
16th August 2009 - O'Donoghue spent €767 in Paris airport
9th August 2009 - A reprehensible use of taxpayers' money
9th August 2009 - O'Donoghue's Cheltenham chauffeur cost €1,400 a day
2nd August 2009 - Revealed: John O'Donoghue's six-day odyssey on state jet
2nd August 2009 - Not even the sky's the limit on O'Donoghue's expenses
26th July 2009 - O'Donoghue travel expenses shameful
26th July 2009 - Learjets, water taxis and Cannes: all in a day's work for John O'Donoghue
26th July 2009 - The minister, his wife and €126k expenses
5th July 2009 - $1,200-a-night junket for O'Donoghue in New york
5th July 2009 - O'Donoghue spends €28,000 on four-night junket to US

October 4, 2009

Comments

#1 Seamus commented, on October 4, 2009 at 7:21 p.m.:

This man must go, its a test of our system if he remains, and why are the opposition pulling back ? Imagine claiming two euros for tissue paper, has he no shame or have we none.

#2 John Joyce commented, on October 4, 2009 at 8:05 p.m.:

What I cannot understand is the deafening silence from the other 165 member of the Dail. Why is this man still in office?

#3 Steve O' Sullivan commented, on October 4, 2009 at 8:13 p.m.:

Is it any wonder the country is f**ked and I was forced to emigrate with gobs**tes like him & his wife blowing taxpayers money like theres no tomorrow.

#4 Gavin Finlay commented, on October 4, 2009 at 9:33 p.m.:

I am so disgusted at this. This grotesque man has to go if there is any dignity left in this damaged republic! Obviously Fianna Fail lost their dignity decades ago! This is an outrage and he must be made an example of. His contemptuous antics are just symptomatic of the Bertie years which we are now beginning to realise were a horrible nightmare.

#5 Michael Murphy commented, on October 4, 2009 at 9:35 p.m.:

My God ,Astounding!, why do we put up with it, why does the Government put up with it? Where will it end?

#6 Pat Ryan commented, on October 4, 2009 at 11:13 p.m.:

Please Mr. Cowen,don't let us down on this one like you did with Mr Molloy.Show this shyster the door and send out a message that we will all share the pain of this recession.

#7 phil commented, on October 4, 2009 at 11:58 p.m.:

Its great gas.."My God,Astounding!why does the Government put up with it?"
Put 2 + 2 together people..the Gov,the opposition..they are all at it!"Why do we put up with it..where will it end?"
Maybe its time for all us Illegal immigrants to do our "patriotic duty"and make our way back home in time for the Christmas Rising 2009..what do you think Antony?We can meet in the Ould Triangle to plan tactics..you re the Poet so can play Pearse..I always fancied myself as a bit of a Connolly..shure listen,the Craic we had the day we died for ould Ireland

#8 patrick commented, on October 5, 2009 at 12:50 a.m.:

Why does the phrase "Catholic on horseback" come to mind? Parading around like a Lord without a thought for cost and those poor suckers paying the bill. Shame is a word still in Websters dictionary,look it up! But then expecting a quasi-gombeen,elbow tapping,eyewinking,behind the hand whispering,jumped-up Mick actor to have any is just expecting too much these days....

#9 jay shaw commented, on October 5, 2009 at 12:56 a.m.:

so depressing to read this. even more gut-wrenching to think of the landslide victory he'll be rewarded with by the good people of kerry at the next election...a big two fingers up to those nasty D4 naysayers...

#10 Jimmy Lyne commented, on October 5, 2009 at 1:36 a.m.:

At least he`s a good husband, taking his wife everywhere, he obviously loves her.

#11 Ann commented, on October 5, 2009 at 8:08 a.m.:

This man should be made to resign immediately. He is a disgrace as are all the other Politicians who are keeping quiet. As a full time carer living on 220 euro per week and having already had my Christmas bonus withdrawn I feel angry at all the political parties for their abuse of taxpayers money. They are living like
Kings while we at the bottom are treated like dirt.

#12 Margaret commented, on October 5, 2009 at 9:31 a.m.:

digusting...but then what do we expect from this thieving incompetent Government. Please somebody get them out, organise protests at Dail Eireann and I am suer we will all be out demanding their heads on a plate!

#13 Christopher O'Grady commented, on October 5, 2009 at 9:35 a.m.:

You mention a phenomenal "186 internal flights to transport them between Dublin, Kerry and Cork despite having use of a full-time garda driver", but you do'nt mention the obvious - that he has a State car as well as that driver. Also, my understanding is that a State car will take him to each departing airport and a second one will collect him from the arriving airport. Check that one out! Also, contrast that with Harriet Harman, the UK Minister and Deputy Labour Leader, who has had two convictions while driving herself since 2004, and is currently under investigation for using a mobile while driving herself and scraping another car only last July. If it's good enough for a senior UK politician, why do our Ministers have State drivers and cars? Chris, Dublin.

#14 Gerry O'Hara commented, on October 5, 2009 at 11:03 a.m.:

Well, thanks to the plonkers who voted "Yes" to Lisbon this will now be the norm. When Monsieur Le President Tony Blair and his charming wife Cherie Antoinette take over, we can all eat cake.

#15 John Mc Cormack commented, on October 5, 2009 at 11:39 a.m.:

He claimed for a £1.00 donation to Unicef!!!Lamb of God what a bloody cheek this greedy, self -serving,mean,wastrel has...

If Cowen does not sack him and get back all this wasted money off him he can f**k right off if he comes looking for me to pony up more taxes in December.

#16 Bernard O'Neill commented, on October 5, 2009 at 12:29 p.m.:

The speaker of the British Parliament Michael Martin (not to be confused with our beloved Micheál) resigned over an expenses scandal. But would any of our shower step down? Don't hold your breath!

#17 Kieran commented, on October 5, 2009 at 1:40 p.m.:

There needs to be some accountability in politics otherwise this type of abuse will continue. What kind of person expenses their 1 euro donation to UNICEF? This man is an embarrassment not only to politics but to Ireland.

#18 eamonmcl commented, on October 5, 2009 at 2:43 p.m.:

They are all at it. Two people I know (One a well known serving TD, and the other a MEP) told me that they are in it for the lifestyle, perks and expenses. They actually do f**k all work, and all have a great laugh. They know it and are mightily peeved that the scab is being prised off the running sore so that all can see.

#19 antony commented, on October 5, 2009 at 7:56 p.m.:

The Dail Gold Card.. Dont leave home without it boys, it never expires and it has no max, best of all you never have to pay back the dopey tax payer. Dont worry about the sheeople because they all have the same helpless mind set as Magaret #12[nothing personal Magaret] somebody somebody somebody should do something. YES me Paddies ye better find SOME O BODY he/she is bound to help seen as yere too lazy or cowardly to do anything yereselves. Mabye SomeOBody is coming to a town near you shortly but I wouldnt hold my breath as he /she will never be found. God help ye or mabye St Jude may help ye because ye are doomed for the next 100 years [the Dail card will be okay no worries]. The debt burden will be out of sight and the History BOOKS will call ye the Weakest most Gutless generation in any Country World wide. Yes ye were great big shots with yere borrowed money looking down yere old buger filled bog noses at everyone that came within an inch of ye. If anyone of ye got what the Gov has ye would do exactly the same spend spend just like ye did with the hundreds of thousands ye borrowed in the last 10 to 15 years. Ye are the cause of yere own downfall,spend spend spend with yere flexable friend. YEP yere flexible friend is a wee bit stiff these days but dont worry SomeObody is bound to fix that too.
Christmas Rising Phil 09? Too late now for that as the stay at home Paddies are yellow backed Cowards who should all get white feathers from us ex Pats who had the guts to fix our own problems. No Phil stay where you are ,you may be illegal but your free.Who in their right mind would want to help that bunch of loosers anyway. A mini nuke does come to mind though. O yeah baby the sun is warm today in beautiful down town Chicago. The people here are always in good spirits,must be that beautiful unending taste of real FREEDOM, Go OBAMA. Will the last thick old Paddy to leave get SOMEBODY to turn off the old new toxic lights that yere forced to buy Farewell yellow backs

#20 Paddy McGinty commented, on October 5, 2009 at 10:37 p.m.:

When will the gormless John O'D realise that He is the most hated politician in the State? Whilst the Tax Payers are expected to fill a gaping hole in the Irish Economy- this Kerry joker does not know what all the fuss is about.
Cowan is unable to deal with this crisis- as are the other politicians who lack any urgency in getting John O'Ds sorry ass kicked out of office.
Perhaps the other polticians have also raped the system for what it's worth and that's why they're afraid to resolve the issue?

#21 Jerry Aelst commented, on October 6, 2009 at 1:24 a.m.:

Sur' give the poor man a chance. He was only doing his job. Remember that he gave up a lucrative career as a solicitor to serve selflessly the nation. He made real sacrifices to exercise his patriotic duties. So what if he enjoys the texture of pure silk sheets at some exclusive hostelry as he snuggles down for the night. Isn't he worth it!

#22 Louise Kelly commented, on October 6, 2009 at 3:55 a.m.:

But come on a second. Wasn't everyone living high on the hog and taking all they could when the country was booming (which is the period we're talking about here). If he worked for a private corporation his expenses wouldn't be questioned. And really apart from the transportation ones they weren't that astonomical. He does have to eat and sleep when he's away and on 'official' business it doesn't send out a great message to have the minister for tourism staying in a flea bag motel and eating at McDonalds.

#23 Ray commented, on October 6, 2009 at 8:40 a.m.:

You have to feel sorry for poor old Kate. She was splitting her sides in laughter at her good fortune while the rest of the economy was collapsing.It got so bad that John had to send for tissues. Of course he got the good old taxpayer to pick up the bill.
He knows that he is well covered once he keeps his head down for a few weeks .

#24 Pat commented, on October 6, 2009 at 1:05 p.m.:

Wake up people. Sure his travel expenses are high, but should the man fly with Ryanair? Should he be able to fly first class or business class. Do any of you have an idea how much this costs? Gifts for foreign dignitaries.. Whats wrong with that.. Should he bring turf? Hotels... Should he stay under a bridge and then get picked up by the French parliamentary chairman... It is a lot of money but the only issues I can see are the racing courses and his wife's travel expenses. Ask the other ministers how much they spend. This is a staged, prolonged, and fabricated assault on an individual and is solely addressed at selling newspapers. "Get out the Pitchforks"!. Wake up and get on with restructuring the country's expenses.

#25 c carroll commented, on October 6, 2009 at 7:56 p.m.:

Its now wed 6th of october and eamon gilmore has put down a motion of no confidence in him BUT still not a word out of the "conscience wrestler" paul gogarty and his green slime about this. I suppose they're thankful someone else has spared their blushes.

#26 Mark commented, on October 7, 2009 at 12:14 a.m.:

A few people asked why the other politicians (even the opposition) are surprisingly quiet about all of this.....I think their lack of criticism says it all....don't you know they are probably all abusing their own expense accounts also.
Milking the ordinary tax payers.
And of course now the economy is in trouble, who suffers the cuts?...Politicians and their wealthy developer and banker friends? No! The blind tax payers who proudly KEEP VOTING them into government.
(In fact they are setting up NAMA to save their banker and developer friends using tax-payers money)
And well done to you all who voted Lisbon in (on the third push), which ALL THE POLITICIANS are behind...they now can claim 1million euros expenses funded by who?.....The same people who voted them in.
Remember how you voted when your children are losing their homes, are being drafted to fight in wars not even their own, you have no jobs, you cannot get decent health-care, etc.
I don't blame the politicians, I blame the people who voted for them and for Lisbon....truly the blind are leading the blind.

#27 Caroline commented, on October 7, 2009 at 5:28 p.m.:

I have to agree with Mark - personally I have NEVER voted FF but unfortunately I have to put up with the morons everyone else votes in. Of course, I'm not saying the morons that are not elected are any better! The only reason the "opposition" was so quiet on this whole issue is because they also have massive expense accounts, which I am looking forward to seeing in the near future.

#28 Joe commented, on October 7, 2009 at 6:04 p.m.:

A few swimming pools in Tralee, planning permission for some bungalows in Killarney, and he'll be back in.

#29 Richard commented, on October 7, 2009 at 10:03 p.m.:

If John b. Keane was still alive he would have an opportunity to surpass all of his previous works with a production based on Mr O Donoghues efforts to attract investment on his world tour.Luxury travel and luxury hotels would be an area where John has not focused on in his previous works but he would give us a brilliant insight into this surreal world.

#30 Desmond commented, on October 8, 2009 at 12:34 a.m.:

Joe, doubt if bringing a few swimming pools to Tralee will help him. Tralee is in Kerry North. O'Donoghue's constituency is Kerry South with that other clown Jackie Healy Rae.

#31 jmc commented, on October 8, 2009 at 1:23 p.m.:

John is a fitting representative of his cute hoor stroke pulling gombeen constituents.

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