Former EU Commissioner and Environment Minister Phil Hogan is seeking Government support to head up a key UN agency. Mr Hogan would have to be put forward by the Irish government for the role and would then need EU backing. At the time Mr Hogan did apologise for attending the Oireachtas Golf Society dinner in Clifden, Co Galway, but always maintained he did not breach covid-19 quarantine rules. Mr Varadkar and Mr Martin went on a “populist wave of indignation” in the wake of 'Golfgate' and forced his resignation, Mr Hogan will say in a 2022 interview with RTÉ's Sean O'Rourke. Following his resignation, Law firm DLA Piper announced that Mr Hogan would join its Brussels office as an adviser as he established a company, Hogan Strategic Advisory Services, which advises a number of major clients.

Source: Irish Examiner January 30, 2026 21:50 UTC