‘Grotesque’ embassy book event cost taxpayers over €2k
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A book launch for former housing minister Eoghan Murphy at the Irish embassy in London which has been labelled "grotesque" cost the Irish taxpayer over £2,000.
The Irish embassy in London last week held a launch of Mr Murphy's book hosted by former presenter Ryan Tubridy.
In the book, Mr Murphy writes about his time as housing minister and has said he wanted to resign when homelessness figures hit 10,000.
Mr Murphy was not reappointed to Cabinet following his stint as housing minister and resigned his seat in the Dáil in April 2021.
In a social media post after the event, the embassy posted that the evening was "an insightful conversation led by Ryan Tubridy".
"The book offers an unfiltered gaze into the realities of public life, creating a fascinating topic for discussion," it added.
In a statement, the Department of Foreign Affairs said Mr Tubridy did not receive a fee, but that the overall bill was paid from embassy's budget.
A spokesperson said the event was hosted by ambassador Martin Fraser.
Mr Fraser was general secretary at the Department of Taoiseach when Mr Murphy was at Cabinet.
"The event in question was hosted by the ambassador as part of the embassy’s event programme, which includes up to 100 events per year, covering a wide range of topics and a large number of guests.
These events have included 13 book launches over 2023 and 2024.
Seven book launches have been hosted by the embassy in London to date in 2024.
In addition, the embassy supported the Irish Writers Weekend at the British Library this year, which featured over 30 Irish writers.
"For each book launch hosted at the Embassy, the costs for food, beverages and staff are met from the Mission budget.
"The estimated cost of this event was £2,104 (which includes food, beverage and staff costs).
"No fees were paid by the Embassy to any participant at the event."
People Before Profit-Solidarity TD for Dublin West Ruth Coppinger said that the event "reeks of the golden circle" and said that it showed that there was "an inside track" in Irish public life.
"If I write a book will I be able to book a slot in the embassy? Everything about it was so grotesque. A resigned TD — why do they get special treatment?
"Never mind the subject matter where he is admitting failure. I can see the justification in promoting Irish culture, but how is this culture, it's a political non fiction book. This is a political book. How is it adding to Irish culture?"