THE SACKED chief executive of Athletics Ireland has begun a High Court action to have her dismissal declared invalid.
Mary Coghlan initiated proceedings earlier this month to prevent her dismissal arising from an alleged orchestrated campaign to dismiss her involving members of the Irish Sports Council, including its chairman Ossie Kilkenny and chief executive John Treacy.
Mr Justice Brian McGovern was told yesterday, by Marcus Dowling, for Ms Coghlan, that she had been dismissed two days after the proceedings had been initiated and paid three months notice.
Mr Dowling said he was seeking a declaration that dismissal was invalid as the Irish Sports Council had issued a directive outside its statutory powers putting pressure on the athletics association to dismiss Ms Coghlan.
Donal O’Donnell SC, for the council, said there were some “fairly toxic and offensive” allegations against his client for the purpose of attracting publicity to the proceedings. His side would meet these allegations when the case, which was “very thin”, was heard, Mr O’Donnell added.
Ms Coghlan was employed for a little over a year and a probationary period had never been determined, he added.
Tom Mallon, for Athletics Ireland, said its board had made an executive decision to terminate Ms Coghlan’s employment on notice and had paid her in lieu of that notice.
Mr Justice McGovern adjourned the matter to October 12th.
Ms Coghlan has claimed Mr Kilkenny had described her as “the cancer that is within us” which must be removed and also alleged that association board member Patsy McGonagle had described her as a “silly bitch”.
She claims the sports council opposed her appointment from the outset in May 2008 and a few months later had determined without any proper inquiry that she was responsible for “serious governance issues” in the association.
At a meeting on November 12th last, Ms Coghlan claims Mr Kilkenny directed Athletics Ireland to terminate her employment. It is further alleged that the sports council orchestrated a series of press articles in which she was identified as being “responsible for a crisis in Irish athletics”.