A DISGRACED politician who pleaded guilty to breaching ethics legislation over the rezoning of his family's land at a hotel has resigned his position as a director of Fáilte Ireland, the Sunday Tribune can reveal.

It is also understood
Kill­arney mayor Patrick O'Don­oghue will not contest the upcoming local elections on behalf of his party Fianna Fáil.

In the first prosecution of its kind, O'Donoghue pleaded guilty at Tralee Circuit Criminal Court earlier this month to a breach of ethics in attempting to influence a decision at Killarney Town Council in relation to a motion to rezone 20 acres of family land around the Gleneagle Hotel in 2006.

The matter was initially investigated by the Standards in Public Office Commission (Sipo) which referred it to the director of public prosecutions in 2007. Last Friday, a government statement confirmed O'Don­oghue's role with the tourism body Fáilte Ireland had come to an end.

"Martin Cullen TD, Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism was notified today by Mr Patrick O'Donoghue, that he had resigned from his position as a member of the Fáilte Ireland Authority," the department said in a statement. "The minister thanked Mr O'Donoghue for his contribution to the work of the authority."

The announcement follow­ed calls for his resignation last week from senator Alan Kelly, Labour's spokesman on tourism and a former senior employee of Fáilte Ireland.

Kelly, a Munster candidate for the upcoming European elections, told the Sunday Tribune before O'Don­­oghue's announcement: "I believe he should consider his position and that if he doesn't take the right course of action the minister should deal with it.

"I have spoken to a number of staff and former staff at Fáilte Ireland and they are not very pleased. There is certainly a question mark as to whether someone who has admitted guilt on this ethics legislation should keep a seat on a state board.

"There are a lot of people who look up to board members and their decisions. It is not something that they are very comfortable with."

It is also believed the mayor's future as a councillor, at least within Fianna Fáil, is under immediate threat.

Although Fianna Fáil would not comment on the matter, local sources have indicated O'Donoghue will not contest the local elections on the party ticket this June.

O'Donoghue is due to be sentenced at Tralee Circuit Court on 30 June 2009. The charge against O'Donoghue – brought under ethics legislation in the Local Government Act 2001 – related to a motion before the council in March 2006 which sought to rezone 20 acres, including a pitch-and-putt course, the Gleneagle and Brehon Hotels and the INEC to tourism and associated town centre facilities.

At the meeting, he declared his interest in the matter and abstained from the discussion of the motion. He did not vote on the matter but the Sipo said it was satisfied on the balance of probabilities that O'Donoghue sought to influence the decision of Killarney Town Council by seeking the support of councillors in relation to the motion. The motion was passed.

O'Donoghue can retain his position as Killarney mayor until sentencing on 30 June.