Kerry TD Danny Healy-Rae has said he has no comment to make on possible breaches of Covid-19 rules in his pub in footage widely shared on social media in August last summer.
Videos and still images appeared on social media last summer relating to people apparently gathered indoors without masks or social distancing, purportedly at the Kilgarvan pub.
An investigation was conducted by Killarney gardaí and a file was sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions. In January gardaí confirmed the DPP was not prosecuting.
On Radio Kerry on Friday when asked to comment on the matter, the TD said he was “cleared, exonerated or whatever” by the DPP on the matter.
Any further questions should be directed to the DPP, he suggested when he was pressed on the matter.
It is the first time the TD was questioned on radio about the matter since it emerged no prosecution was being brought.
Mr Healy-Rae asked to come on local radio to speak about the carbon tax and his opposition to its implementation.
Alleged incidents
One alleged incident is understood to be from a family wedding in July before Covid-19 restrictions on indoor hospitality services were lifted.
The second alleged incident was in the aftermath of the annual Kilgarvan fair in early August.
Danny Healy-Rae had been an outspoken critic of several pandemic regulations on rural publicans in July of 2021.
On Friday he said he was not apologising for standing up for rural publicans in the Dáil.
He also told presenter Jerry O’Sullivan: “If you’re not happy with the DPP or his decision, you’ll have to talk to him.”
“Go way and talk to him and ask him how he arrived at his decision!” the TD said at another point in the interview when pressed.
