Courts / Ireland / Report

Whiskey Museum manager put under 'unacceptable' pressure when marriage to co-founder broke down

Summary

The Irish Whiskey Museum was ordered to pay €22,540 to former general manager Nicola McDonnell after a Workplace Relations Commission hearing found she was subjected to "unacceptable" pressure when her marriage to co‑founder Keith McDonnell broke down. McDonnell alleged that from July 2020 she was harassed, bullied, excluded and denied access to the museum and her email, and that her husband threatened her with Gardaí and called her a "common thief" over alleged whiskey theft. She said she had no choice but to resign due to the hostile environment. McDonnell claimed constructive dismissal under the Unfair Dismissals Act 1977 and was not paid the €5,928 redundancy sum she sought. The commission upheld her complaint, noting the emails and warnings from McDonnell that she was no longer wanted as an employee, and ruled the pressure was unacceptable and that her resignation was reasonable. The museum must pay the compensation.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Whiskey Museum manager put under 'unacceptable' pressure when marriage to co-founder broke down. Procedural stage: hearing_or_decision

When:

• July 2020 Hearing Or Sentence
• March 2020 Other
• September 2020 Other
• March 2021 Other
• November 2021 Other
• 2022-12-15 Publication

Why: Nicola McDonnell said her estranged husband Keith McDonnell, a founding partner of the museum, "harassed, bullied, undermined and excluded" her from the business from July 2020 onward and that she felt she was left with no option but to resign because of her husband's behaviour. CNI source report

Topics

Stage Hearing Or Decision Theft

Read the original CNI report