Bridget O’Reilly’s discrimination case awaits Court of Appeal ruling

This report is a localnews.ie summary based on public court reporting and records; sources are listed below.

Bridget O’Reilly’s Traveller discrimination case remained before the Court of Appeal when it heard submissions on 3 April 2025; judgment was reserved. The case concerns the Charleville Park Hotel’s refusal to accommodate her family in Charleville, County Cork.

The Workplace Relations Commission awarded O’Reilly and Philip O’Neill €22,000 under the Equal Status Act in 2022. The Circuit Court overturned that award in July 2022, and the High Court quashed the Circuit Court ruling in September 2023 after finding the hearing unfair because of excessive judicial intervention.

Atlantic Troy Ltd, which owns the hotel, appealed the decision allowing the case to proceed by judicial review in the High Court. Its counsel argued that a statutory appeal to the Circuit Court before a different judge offered an alternative remedy; O’Reilly’s counsel argued the High Court route should stand.