Court archive
2026-03-09 · Cork
Adjudicator Patsy Doyle rejected Sinead Cotter's €107,000 complaint alleging gender and family-status pay discrimination at Irving Oil Whitegate Refinery. The decision found that Brendan Collins worked on larger-scale projects and that quantity surveying was central to his higher-graded role.
2022-07-12 · Cork
A Cork golf course was ordered to pay €4,000 to a greenkeeper, Gary O'Sullivan, after he was dismissed following a dispute with owners over Covid‑19 safety. The owners, Colman and Michael Ryan and their mother Margaret, argued that the greenkeeper should be made redundant when the driving range was reduced because "young bulls of golfers" were sending balls off course, damaging property and injuring a victim. O'Sullivan claimed the dismissal was triggered by a heated argument on 29 July 2020, when he was asked to hold a bolt while the owners repaired a malfunctioning dispenser. He said he was told to take holiday pay and received no notice of redundancy until August. The WRC found the dismissal unfair, noting the employer failed to follow proper redundancy procedures, and ordered the Ryans to pay compensation equivalent to about eight weeks' pay in addition to the €16,000 redundancy payment already made.
2022-04-22 · Cork
A driving range in Douglas, Co Cork, has been forced to downsize due to stray golf balls caused by 'young bulls' – strong, physically powerful players – leading to damage to neighboring properties. The owners, Colman and Michael Ryan, along with their mother Margaret Ryan, trading as Frankfield House, are defending a complaint under the Unfair Dismissals Act by their former employee, Gary O'Sullivan, who was made redundant in August 2020. Michael Ryan testified that the golf range had to reduce its size significantly, leading to the redundancy of Mr O'Sullivan, as the family could manage the outdoor work themselves. He claimed the redundancy was due to safety concerns and the high cost of fencing the property. Mr O'Sullivan, however, alleges that his redundancy was not genuine, citing a row with Colman Ryan during a thunderstorm in July 2020, which led to tension and his eventual dismissal. The adjudicating officer, Michael McEntee, adjourned the hearing to consider his decision, which is expected to be delivered in the next seven to eight weeks.