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AN TAOISEACH LEO Varadkar has said he was just making a joke when he talked about intervening in a planning application for US president Donald Trump.
“It was all entirely within procedure, all entirely above board,” Varadkar said.
“I’m happy to clarify that.”
Varadkar was speaking this evening in New York City at the turning of the sod of a new Irish arts centre.
Varadkar came under fire from opposition politicians yesterday after he told a story about Trump contacting him in 2014 in relation to a matter concerning Trump’s golf course and hotel at Doonbeg in Co Clare.
Speaking at a luncheon in Washington D.C. yesterday, Varadkar said that he inquired about the planning permission for a proposed wind farm after he received a call from then-businessman Trump.
Varadkar was Tourism Minister at the time.
In his comments yesterday evening, Varadkar said that he made contact with the council about the plan.
“So I endeavoured to do what I could do about it. I rang [Clare] County Council and inquired about the planning permission and subsequently, the planning permission was declined, and the wind farm was never built, thus the landscape being preserved,” Varadkar said.
Varadkar added that Trump “has kindly given me credit for that, although I think it would probably have been refused anyway”.
Just a joke
Varadkar said today that he had gone back to check with his staff and records following the controversy caused by his remarks.
“Here’s what happened. A businessman was investing in tourism in Ireland,” he said.
As people do – they invest in attractions, they invest in hotels – and that person raised an issue with me and I did what was entirely appropriate which was to pass on those concerns to the… statutory agency,” Varadkar told reporters today.
“That is exactly what a tourism minister should do. If an investor raises an issue you pass it on to the relative authorities and they deal with it – that’s exactly what I did,” he said.
Varadkar also released the email in question:
Varadkar said the luncheon yesterday was the kind of occasion where people were making jokes and telling anecdotes.
The leaders of the major opposition parties had called on Varadkar to clarify his remarks after he made them.
Fianna Fáil leader Micaheál Martin called on Varadkar to be “more transparent in relation to his intervention with Clare County Council on behalf of President Trump”.
Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald said she was “taken aback and concerned” by the revelation and also asked for more clarity.
With reporting from Christina Finn in New York City
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A tornado AND a UFO in the one picture!
With a church holding its own amongst the Armageddon. Maybe………
Think the building just got lucky Paul.
That’s not a U F O. It’s a flying cow. Have you not seen twister
Up all night to get some…
Pretty sure that’s a shark
Going to be well pissed when he lands. They hate been out of water
Hahahahahaha brilliant ☺️☺️
I hear they are still pullin bodies outta the graveyard
Tks Dermot, comment of the day! Hilarious.
As long as it’s not one the body of a relative!
Sure maybe they just fancied a spin.
“Well that bates Banagher”
“Banagher bate the divil…”
Wow that is a big twister thank god no one was injured
Hope nobody was injured. That must have been really frightening to come out of nowhere like that.
‘A black cloud descended in the east Galway village ‘
makes a change from the black cloud hanging over galway town.
the most overrated place in Europe.
You have not travelled much around Europe then.
Galway City, we’ll have you know! We have a royal charter from 1484!
Dalai doing a bit of winding up people ?
jim,
lol………..you know me so well…………………
ian,
shop street and eyre square, most cities have bigger bus depots than these places…………
A black cloud must hang over you all the time Dalai going by the sad comments you keep posting.
lmao…………….what sad comments?
what a rascist guy….I only spoke of our bad experience of racist galway people and now you prove it………………..I hope you don’t come to a & e someday………..
aah joe, you are typical galwayman, yes?
Ah lad’s calm down for fecks sake… talk about letting the side down. Its only an opinion.
I don’t think Joe is either from Galway or racist, if fact quite pissed off about your poor comment. From my travels including Dalai, those that throw stones should not live in glass houses. Galway rules and is a significant player in our tourist industry. From a Irish Man.
Personally I hope no one was seriously injured…full stop
no need now for joe to be angry, its a eacist town, I work here I know it, don’t be angry or racist, galway has enough of both.
Sharknado!!
This went right by my house, was so calm out then all of a sudden the noise of the wind, was just so scary, looked out my back garden & it was an actual tornado! I could see lots of debris twisting around, it went by so fast..then It was so calm again afterwards, scary!
Is that the time!
Yes, Armageddon Time.
Looks like a scene from The Omen..
Did someone mess with the holy stone of clonfert?
Nah, just kidding.
On a serious note, this is what happens when the immersion is left on.
Be warned people.
Crap I’ve just left work Jim. I may have left they on.
And I’ve left mine on bath! !
Its no laughing matter , we witnessed it as we were all out getting ready for training and it passed a couple of fields away from us. i went down to the graveyard this morning its a mess horrible to see the old gravestones thats been standing for years destroyed. One familys house a tree fell on it, 2 young lads had to lie down on the road to stay safe from it only for the quick thinking of the eldest boy who lay on top of his younger brother god knows what would have happened. Thank god no one was hurt!!!!
Scary stuff hope it doesnt happen again.
:O
Nasty weather indeed. It’s possible to get anything over the next 6-8wks. But what really drives me nuts is the people who go out an about to view such weather. When wind or rain picks up quickly, indoors is the only place to head for. Too many sad stories of people killed by falling trees an debris over the last number of yrs
Enjoy your bath dalai. In the town Square. Hope the next twister lands right on your home town.
I hope you get better joe……………….
try some chicken tikka masala or a jalfrezi, I would normally recommend the vindaloo but I don’t want to overheat you.
Stop feeding the troll people. He’s lovin’ it!
Is that some secret code mary to say he works in McDonald’s?
No idea where Dalai works. Just a wee joke!
Have seen a few in Belfast today
Holy feck… so close to Banagher!!!
Ef2 isn’t on the Fujita Scale, it’s in the Enhanced Fujita Scale, very similar only EF used these days in US and Canada instead of the older (original) scale.
EF2: wind speeds of between 178 – 217 km/h!
That sucks.
Damn nature, you scary!
I live up the road from clonfert , Dali u take a trip down there this morning and see the damaged it has caused , I went down to see was my grandad s head stone still upright as it only went up in June , the damage that has being caused is so sad , I won’t be bringing my granny to the grave for awhile ,
The wrath of Kenny
Hope emmanaul house is ok.also eddie
The earth moved
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