Inland Fisheries chief had right to revert to another role, ex-chairwoman tells WRC

The former chairwoman of Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) has said her understanding was that the organisation’s chief executive could revert to another role when his term ended. Prof Frances Lucy, who served on the board of the State agency for 10 years and was appointed chairwoman in May 2022, said this was based on precedent. Former chief executive Francis O’Donnell is pursuing complaints under the Protected Disclosures Act 2014, the Payment of Wages Act 1997, and the Unfair Dismissals Act 1977 against the State agency, where he was employed as chief executive from September 2020 to July 2025.