Courts / Kildare / Report
Well-known stud farm ordered to compensate stable hands fired over opposition to horses being put down
Summary
In May 2023, Rebecca Conlon and her daughter Rachel O'Reilly were dismissed from Forenaghts Stud Farm Ltd after a verbal altercation over the euthanasia of two mares. The dispute began on 24 May when the women, who had worked there since September 2019, challenged the decision to euthanise the horses. The farm's manager, Caoimhe Doherty, had consulted a vet and other professionals before deciding to put the animals down. Conlon and O'Reilly reacted angrily, using profanity and making allegations of incompetence. The farm suspended them on 29 May and, after an external investigation, terminated their employment on 19 June, citing misconduct. The Workplace Relations Commission found the dismissals unfair, awarding each woman 16 weeks' wages (€9,000 for Conlon, €5,500 for O'Reilly), an additional €3,500 for a breach of the Organisation of Working Time Act in Conlon's case, and €100 for technical breaches of the Terms of Employment (Information) Act. The total compensation exceeded €18,000.
Who, what, where, when and why
What: Report matter: Well-known stud farm ordered to compensate stable hands fired over opposition to horses being put down. Procedural stage: hearing_or_decision
When:
- June 2023 Other
- 24 May Other
- September 2019 Other
- 29 May 2023 Incident
- 15 June 2023 Incident
- 19 June 2023 Hearing Or Sentence
- 2025-05-14 Publication
Why: The farm's position was that mother and daughter had been dismissed because they had both "challenged and abused Ms Doherty verbally in front of a vet and other members of staff" after they "did not agree with the decision taken to euthanise two mares". CNI source report
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