Taoiseach Micháel Martin has firmly denied rumours that he changed his flight plans to attend last weekend’s Cork hurling match, stating today that he “cannot be responsible for what people write.”
The fuss began after the Irish Daily Mail claimed that Mr Martin had changed his flight times from Japan to Dublin in order to attend the Cork V Dublin game in Croke Park.
However, speaking at government buildings this morning, the Taoiseach rubbished the claims. “It’s simply not true,” he emphasised. “I did not alter any official travel arrangements to attend the match.”
He said that the flights were changed due to security advice.
There are calls for the Taoiseach to publish the security advice that he received and to publish the cost of the changes to his flights.
Aontu Leader Peadar Tóibín has noted that the Middle East has posed a risk for 'quite some time' and questioned why the flights would have been booked in the first place.
He told the Irish Daily Mail that 'Politicians have changed their flights for frivolous reasons in the past. If the flights were changed for the Taoiseach and his officials for security reasons, that's logical. However, if the decision to change the flights was influenced by non-security issues like a GAA match, then that's outrageous.
