Needless Row Over Lowry Meetings Shakes Coalition

Taoiseach Enda Kenny was forced to tell his team of ministers to "calm down" after a heated controversy blew up over meetings held by members of the government with Independent TD Michael Lowry last year.

The controversy blew up last week when it emerged that Environment Minister Phil Hogan had met with Deputy Lowry and a Co. Tipperary company just days after the Moriarty Tribunal reported last year.

The report found that Mr Lowry - as a Fine Gael Minister - had effectively delivered Ireland's second mobile phone license to businessman Denis O'Brien, from whom he had received a $50,000 donation.

Mr Hogan would tell the Dail in a speech that he "held no truck" with anyone who had been criticised in the tribunal's reports just days after holding that meeting with Mr Lowry.

It then emerged that Mr Lowry had held meetings with several other ministers during last year including Finance Minister Michael Noonan and Health Minister James Reilly.

The meetings were nothing unusual in themselves, but their timing has caused embarrassment for the coalition.

Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht Jimmy Deenihan (FG) said it would have been better if Minister Hogan's meeting with Mr Lowry hadn't taken place, but he understood how it happened.

"As I see it, this meeting obviously had been organised some time beforehand, it was about farm waste management, there were a number of other people in the room, and I'd say it was in that context, that meeting happened," Mr Deenihan said.

"Obviously it would have been better if that meeting hadn't happened, but I can understand how these meetings could happen... certainly I can understand how this, which may yield possibly jobs for Tipperary, how this could have been organised well in advance."

Labour Minister Joan Burton later said she agreed with Mr Deenihan's assessment, adding that "I have said that I think the Government does have to be conscious of how people against whom adverse findings have been made by tribunals of inquiry, how these people interact with members of the Government."

But Mr Lowry came out fighting, defending his right to meet with Ministers, given that he is the elected representative of the people of South Tipperary.

"I would remind her that my rights and entitlements are not granted by her or the Government " he said, "They are granted by the people I represent under the Constitution."

The row which rumbled on through Easter - a time when little other political news was making headlines it must be said - with fuel being added to the fire by a Twitter exchange between two Fine Gael and Labour backbenchers.

Charlie Flanagan tweeted to ask if Minister Burton had "a death wish" for the coalition government by voicing her criticisms so publicly.

This prompted Labour TD Colm Keaveney to accuse him of cyber-bullying.

In the end, Taoiseach Enda Kenny was forced to intervene and remind all of his cabinet that there were far bigger issues facing the government than this row.

"I would say to everybody, calm down, we've got bigger challenges up ahead, and that's where the Government is absolutely focused," he said.