Mayo TD Dara Calleary has been appointed Minister of State in the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment to replace Robert Troy.
The Fianna Fáil TD was earlier tipped as a potential candidate, along with James Lawless and Niamh Smyth.
In August 2020, Mr Calleary resigned as Minister for Agriculture over his attendance at a golf society dinner in Galway.
Mr Calleary said the controversy surrounding his attendance at the Oireachtas Golf Society dinner in Clifden will “always be there.”
He said that it was “a big mistake” but he had apologized and had paid a price.
The Minister of State said he now wanted to focus on his new role and to promote Irish businesses.
Earlier this year, the Taoiseach left the door open for a return to Cabinet of Mr Calleary, saying the Mayo TD had paid a heavy price and was “very dignified” in resigning from Cabinet when news broke of the event.
Mr Calleary now replaces Fianna Fáil TD Robert Troy who last week resigned as Minister of State at the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment.
Mr Troy resigned amid calls for the Dáil Committee on Parliamentary Privileges and Oversight to investigate matters related to Mr Troy’s property interests.
The Longford-Westmeath TD had apologized for not giving the process of the register of politicians’ members’ interests the “due diligence it deserved”.
He said he would be “very happy” to address the Dáil to answer questions for mistakes he made in declaring his property interests.
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Mr Calleary has represented Mayo in Dail Éireann since the 2007 general election, and served in a number of roles in Government in the past.
Welcoming the appointment, the Taoiseach said: “Dara brings considerable experience to this role, having already served in the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment.
“A professional and diligent worker, I have no doubt Dara will hit the ground running, in helping indigenous Irish companies face the significant challenges and opportunities ahead, as well as overseeing important legislative reforms of the Personal Injuries Assessment Board.”
Mr Calleary said: “I look forward to getting stuck in straight away and continuing to build on the great work my colleague Robert Troy TD has done in the department.
“The Department is full of hard-working and talented people and I’m looking forward to working alongside them.
“This is a great personal honor and I am very grateful to my family, my colleagues, my supporters and my constituents for their ongoing support.