A High Court action by a senior Cork GAA official against the sporting organisation over a decision to terminate his employment has been settled.
Earlier this month, Diarmuid O’Donovan, who was senior administrator of the Cork GAA County Board since 2013, secured a temporary injunction preventing the County Board and the GAA terminating his employment.
He brought proceedings against the defendants after being informed the position of senior administrator was to be discontinued and his employment ended on grounds of redundancy.
Represented by Marguerite Bolger SC, Mr Donovan claimed the decision to terminate the position was flawed.
The defendants denied any wrongdoing and had urged the court to discontinue the injunction. They said, subject to formal ratification by the county board’s executive, a decision was taken to discontinue the position of senior administrator, which was never meant to be a permanent post, and to make Mr O’Donovan redundant. Noone else was being recruited to carry out the role, they added.
During the proceedings, Mark Connaughton SC, for the defendants, said it was accepted Mr Donovan was “undoubtedly a committed supporter” of the GAA and its work and had done a very good job for the Cork County Board as its senior administrator. The settlement came on Wednesday afternoon after Mr O’Donovan’s application for the interim injunction to remain in place pending the outcome of his action had opened before Ms Justice Leonie Reynolds.
The judge, noting the long history of goodwill between the sides, had earlier urged the parties to try and resolve the matter amicably. She welcomed the settlement, no details of which were provided to the court.
The court previously heard the €55,000 a year senior administrator position was established to assist the day to day work of the board while its county secretary dealt with the completion of the Páirc Uí Chaoimh stadium.
Mr O’Donovan, of Mervue Lawn, Ballyvolane, had claimed he was shocked by the decision to terminate his employment and feared it would damage his reputation. He claimed he had worked 55-60 hours a week in the role and the redundancy was a “blatant” attempt to remove him from a role he successfully and effectively carried out and expanded for several years.
Prior to taking up the position, he was acting CEO with the Evening Echo Newspaper and believed he would continue in the role to retirement, he also said.