Sarah McInerney has been praised for “capturing the mood of the nation” on RTÉ Radio 1 this morning.
The broadcaster discussed the outrage surrounding an Oireachtas Golf Society dinner which was held in Galway on Wednesday night – just 24 hours after new Covid measures were introduced.
This morning, Agriculture Minister Dara Calleary resigning from cabinet effective immediately – following reports that he was among over 80 people who attended the event, which appeared to breach public health guidelines.
Minister for Agriculture Dara Calleary has confirmed he is resigning from Cabinet after attending an event in Clifden, Co Galway with 80 other people on Wednesday night.https://t.co/gHeO69PYd4
— RTÉ News (@rtenews) August 21, 2020
The Gardaí have since confirmed that they’re investigating the event, which was also attended by a number of other politicians – including Fianna Fáil’s Paul Daly, Fine Gael’s Jerry Buttimer and John Cummins, and independent TD Noel Grealish.
The controversy has been widely discussed on social media since last night, and former Minister for Health Simon Harris branded it “shocking and upsetting” on Twitter this morning.
He tweeted: “We have all worked so hard for so long. People have sacrificed so much. I am struggling to put words on how shocking & upsetting I find what has happened. People are gutted & anger is palpable. I feel that too. But we can’t let this stop us all working to keep each other safe.”
“The Oireachtas golf dinner should clearly not have proceeded. It was absolutely the wrong thing to do and a stomach punch to every one in this country who has sacrificed so much.”
We have all worked so hard for so long. People have sacrificed so much. I am struggling to put words on how shocking & upsetting I find what has happened. People are gutted & anger is palpable. I feel that too. But we can’t let this stop us all working to keep each other safe
— Simon Harris TD (@SimonHarrisTD) August 21, 2020
The Oireachtas golf dinner should clearly not have proceeded. It was absolutely the wrong thing to do and a stomach punch to every one in this country who has sacrificed so much
— Simon Harris TD (@SimonHarrisTD) August 21, 2020
This morning, on her last day hosting RTÉ Radio 1’s Today programme, Sarah McInerney was praised for the way she reacted to the scandal.
And during a particularly poignant moment, the microphone accidentally picked up Sarah sighing “jaysus” as she transitioned into an ad break.
The presenter has since been branded a “national treasure”, and many have shared hopes she lands a “high profile broadcasting gig” after Claire Byrne takes over from her on Monday.
I enjoyed that little exasperated “jaysis” from Sarah McInerney there! #golfgate pic.twitter.com/SMSk7hLAOq
— Peter Branigan (@PeterBranigan) August 21, 2020
Sarah McInerney really capturing the mood of the nation there with an unintentionally on-mic “JAYSUS”. pic.twitter.com/wQHlhJs030
— Sarah Garvey ???????? (@ItsSarahGarvey) August 21, 2020
That accidental “Jesus” from Sarah McInerney is the most relatable reaction of the day. At least she’s going out with a bang! #TodayRTE
— Hannah Murphy???? (@Hanelizaa) August 21, 2020
Sarah Mcinerney has been fantastic in this slot.
Managing to condense the omnishambles of #golfgate into a brilliantly informative and coherent broadcast is testament to her skill.
She also captured the mood of the nation in a single word – a heck of a sign off! https://t.co/dBZAXacFEw
— Paul O’Donoghue (@paulodonoghue93) August 21, 2020
What a classy sign off from the exceptional Sarah McInerney. Please, please, please, RTE: give her a high profile broadcasting gig. Nothing less than Morning Ireland, the News at One, Drivetime or Prime Time is good enough for her talent #todayrte
— Peter McGuire Keep Your Distance & Wash Your Hands (@PeterMcGuireIE) August 21, 2020
It could only be Sarah McInerney to encapsulate mood of the nation in one single word. She’s been a breath of fresh air and should be retained by RTE to keep those in power on their toes. We need likes of her more than ever now in front line broadcasting
— Ailbe O’Reilly (@ailbeoreilly) August 21, 2020
Sarah McInerney exhaling, “Jaysus!” is a mood.
— ⭐ amy o’connor ⭐ (@amyohconnor) August 21, 2020
Sarah McInerney sighing JAYSUS into the mic. ????
She is a national treasure.#golfgate— Caolán Mc Aree (@Caolanmcaree) August 21, 2020