Former RTE star Sean O’Rourke said he wishes he never went golfing at the Oireachtas Golf Society during Covid restrictions.
The former Radio 1 presenter officially retired from RTÉ in May 2020 after seven years at the station and was in talks to continue working with the broadcaster on future projects.
However, future opportunities were shelved when it emerged that he was in attendance at the controversial Oireachtas Golf Society dinner held in Clifden, Co Galway in August 2020 while strict Covid restrictions were in place.
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Sean has now revealed he wishes he never went to Clifden that day.
He said: “It was just an unfortunate thing that happened. I wish it hadn’t happened; I wish I hadn’t gone there but it happened.
“I think it’s pretty much firmly now in the rear-view mirror.
“I think it was Queen Elizabeth who said there are some things we wish we had done differently or not at all,” he told the RTE Guide.
O'Rourke said in a statement at the time: “I spent many years with RTÉ presenting programmes on which public figures were called to account for their actions.
“Now I must call myself to account. The right course is to set aside our plans for my return to the airwaves.”
Sean is now the host of his own podcast, Insights with Sean O’Rourke – and he admitted he would never go back to RTE Radio again.
He admitted when he hosted his popular mid morning show, he didn’t realise how much pressure it was on him at the time.
“I’ll put it like this to you; I really appreciate the fact that I never have to work to a time signal again, be it on the News At One or just broadcast by appointment at a particular time.
“As it happens, we’re talking three years and a day that I did my last radio show and it took me a long time to realise that was great, but I wouldn’t go back for all the tea in China.
“It was fantastic. I enjoyed it and I worked with a great team of people; really top-notch colleagues who made it possible for me to do the job.
“But it was high pressure, maybe more so that I realised at the time.”
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