Courts / Louth / Report

Former Dundalk COO now working shifts in a factory, WRC hears

Date
2025-03-07

Stage
Hearing Or Decision

Primary locality
Dundalk

County
Louth

Summary

Former Dundalk FC chief operations officer Martin Connolly now works shifts in a factory after his dismissal from the club last year. Connolly alleged that former owner Brian Ainscough did not conduct due diligence before taking over the club in November 2023, a deal that lasted only two weeks. He claims the dismissal was unfair, citing a brief conversation on 26 February 2024 where he was told to leave and that he was not given a notice period. Connolly was paid until May 2024 under a clause for three months' pay in lieu of notice, but he says he was not informed in writing. He applied for several jobs before taking a temporary factory role at Amgen in September 2024, earning just under €43,000 a year. The Workplace Relations Commission heard evidence of his loss of earnings and the dispute over the club's liability for those losses. The tribunal will decide in due course.