The Sun newspaper has apologised to the former captain of the Roscommon GAA football team over an article published in its Irish edition that said he had played pool in a hotel bar naked.
In an apology read out in court yesterday, the newspaper stated Francis Grehan was not naked at a Derry hotel four years ago and acknowledged that its article had caused Mr Grehan and his family distress.
Mr Grehan, who was captain of the Roscommon county team in 2002, had sued Newsgroup Newspapers Limited, of London, for libel as a result of a lead story in the Irish Sun published on July 19th, 2002.
In the High Court yesterday, counsel for the newspaper group Shane Murphy SC, read out an apology to Mr Grehan.
Mr Murphy said the Irish edition of the Sun newspaper ran a lead story on July 19th, 2002, concerning the Roscommon GAA team and, in particular, the events at the Waterfront Hotel in Derry, on April 28th, 2002. "We now wish to state Francis Grehan, the then captain of the team, was not naked on the night in question and withdraw any such imputation," the newspaper stated. The Sun also acknowledged the distress caused to Mr Grehan and apologised to him and his family.
Mr Grehan's action against the newspaper group was listed for hearing yesterday before Justice Elizabeth Dunne and a jury. However, after two hours of settlement talks, the judge was told the matter had been settled on terms that included an apology to be read out in court.
Afterwards, Mr Grehan said he was thrilled the case was settled. It had never been about damages but about an apology, he said. Mr Grehan, a director of a construction company from Ballyforan, Co Roscommon, had said he had been injured in his professional reputation as well as his reputation as a member of the community and as a county footballer and athlete.