The Workplace Relations Commission found Carlow County Council discriminated against retained firefighter Paul Curran on age grounds and ordered it to pay him €15,000 compensation. Adjudication Officer Seamus Clinton dated the decision 10 December 2024.
Curran complained after the council refused to extend his contract beyond age 60. The council denied discrimination, saying it applied the retirement circular in force and that the physical and mental demands of firefighting justified a retirement age. The officer accepted that a mandatory age could serve legitimate aims, but found the council had not properly considered how to implement the later increase, including a lead-in period or an interim extension.