Siún Ní Raghallaigh has dramatically quit as chair of the RTÉ Board.

In a statement in the early hours of this morning, Ms Ní Raghallaigh said it is now “abundantly clear” she no longer has the confidence of the Media Minister.

That came after the Minister appeared on RTÉ’s Prime Time – and accused Ms Ní Raghallaigh of ‘misinforming’ her about RTÉ exit packages on two occasions this week.

In her statement, Ms Ní Raghallaigh said she was left with no choice but to resign.

“It is abundantly clear from statements today, and in particular last night’s Prime Time broadcast, that I no longer have the confidence of the minister in my role as Chair of the Board of RTÉ and that, as such, my position is no longer tenable,” she said.

“This evening, after consultation with the board and Director General Kevin Bakhurst, I have decided to resign from my position.”

Media Minister Catherine Martin after meeting with RTÉ members in Dublin, 6-7-23. Image: Sam Boal/RollingNews

On Breakfast Briefing this morning, Labour leader Ivana Bacik said Minister Martin now has questions to answer about her handling of the situation.

She said it was “rather shocking to see what amounted to a summary dismissal on air by the minister last night”.

Asked if the Minister had lost control of the RTÉ crisis, she said, “It certainly appears that way”.

Prime Time

On Prime Time last night, Minister Martin refused to express confidence in Ms Ní Raghallaigh.

She said Ms Ní Raghallaigh had twice assured her that the RTÉ Board had no role in approving either of the exit packages for the last two executives to leave the broadcaster – former Director of Strategy Rory Coveney and former Chief Financial Officer Richard Collins.

She said she was “deeply disappointed” to then learn that the RTÉ Board had approved Mr Coveney’s exit package.

Asked if she planned to remove Ms Ní Raghallaigh from her position, she said: “I have to give everything consideration but again, I need to hear from her first, it is only right and fair that she explains the situation to me.”

She said she had summoned Ms Ní Raghallaigh to a meeting to discuss the situation.

'No intentional misrepresentation'

In her statement, Ms Ní Raghallaigh insisted that she had not made any “intentional misrepresentation” in her meetings with the minister.

She said that in her meetings with the minister she was asked if the board was aware of the exit packages – and she had confirmed that she was aware of them but said they had not come before the full Board.

She said she “neglected to recollect” that Mr Collin’s exit package did go before the Board’s Renumeration Committee.

She said she had already told the Department about the process leading to Mr Collins’ departure on October 10th – the day after it went before the committee but did not bring it up again in her meetings with the minister this week.

“This was not an intentional misrepresentation, and I subsequently contacted the Department to clarify the details and remind them that I had previously appraised them of the matter in October,” she said.

“Serving as Chair of the RTÉ Board is a privilege which requires the confidence of the Minister,” she continued.

“It is abundantly clear that I no longer do. My resignation is a source of sadness to me, but it is unavoidable. “

She said there is a “very urgent need” for RTÉ’s funding model to be restored and she does not “want this matter to distract from that”.