Byran Dobson has broken his silence amid ongoing controversy over the failure of several RTE broadcasters to socially distance at a gathering during Level Five restrictions.
The RTE newsreader this afternoon apologised unreservedly for a "lapse of judgement" after he and several other leading presenters posed for photos without face masks at a gathering.
Photos of the gathering showed Dobson – as well as Miriam O'Callaghan, David McCullagh and others – at a small going-away bash for Phil Collins, who recently left RTE after 30 years.
The 60-year-old said today that he was "sorry to everyone who has sacrificed so much in recent months, to those who have lost loved ones, who are living with the after-effects of the infection, to those who have lost their jobs, livelihoods, their businesses, those who've been isolated from family and friends".
Dobson added: "On this programme, we have vigorously debated Covid measures but what is not disputed is that each of us should make every effort to observe the restrictions in place at any given time.
"I'd be very concerned if any action of mine undermined that vital life-saving public health advice."
RTE said in a statement that it regretted the actions of some of its leading broadcasters, adding that it has reminded all staff of their obligations to keep themselves and the site safe."
RTE Morning Ireland presenter Mary Wilson this morning said the incident was "a good example" of the complacency that has been discussed recently.
And Jon Williams, the managing director of news, who was also pictured at the gathering, has issued an apology of his own.
Williams said: "I deeply regret not thinking through the consequences of a momentary lapse of judgement. It was wrong and I'm very sorry."
Professor Gabriel Scally, the president of Epidemiology and Public Health at the Royal Society of Medicine, said he was left "speechless" by the photos.
"I understand the view will be it was a momentary lapse of caution, but I think it is astounding," he told Claire Byrne on RTE Radio this morning.
