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Simon Coveney – Minister for Defence and Foreign Affairs

Latest Champagne party revelation ‘blows open Government claim it was an impromptu event’ – 27 Jan 2022

Coveney has a bad habit of making small mistakes into bigger ones – 21 Jan 2022

Simon Coveney slammed as ‘grossly out of touch’ for attending Champagne party in Iveagh House during Covid lockdown – The Minister for Foreign Affairs was among a group of up to 80 departmental staff and guests that enjoyed wine and beers in his department’s garden on July 15, 2020 – 20 Jan 2022

• Junior ministers in Foreign Affairs, Colm Brophy and Thomas Byrne, were also present.
• “As well as the Champagne party, which was clearly in breach of the Covid guidelines, we now have a garden party at Iveagh House in July 2020.

Simon Coveney ‘absolutely has questions to answer’ on Champagne party – 18 Jan 2022

Coveney to be asked to appear before committee over celebration – 18 Jan 2022

Irish foreign minister orders inquiry into champagne party during lockdown – A spokesperson said Coveney had asked the department’s secretary general, Joe Hackett, to send him a report on the “impromptu gathering” by the end of the month.  That’s as good as the gardai investigating the gardai! – 17 Jan 2022

Coveney spoke to DFA staff for 10 minutes on night of controversial celebration – 6 Jan 2022

 

Varadkar backs Coveney over visit to department on night of champagne party –   “I had no prior knowledge of this impromptu gathering in the workplace,” he added. – 6 Jan 2022

Simon Coveney ‘must address anger at department’s lockdown Champagne party’ – 5 Jan 2022

Furious calls for TDs to grill champagne party revellers – 31 Dec 2021

Gardai can’t investigate champagne party despite over 1,000 people being fined for house parties – Mr Cannon said that he was in Government Buildings when the election result was announced, but did not travel to Iveagh House for the celebration afterwards. – Hang on – could that imply he knew about it?  30 Dec 2021

Foreign Affairs officials threw Champagne party in breach of guidelines during lockdown – The photograph of the soirée was a ‘selfie’ taken by Niall Burgess, who was the secretary general of the department at the time but has since been appointed ambassador to France.   The picture also features then-Deputy Secretary General Brendan Rogers, who is now the ambassador to the Netherlands, and John Concannon, who was the head of Leo Varadkar’s controversial Strategic Communications Unit in 2017. He is now director general of the department’s Global Ireland division. – 28 Dec 2021