Space commentator David Moore has been held personally liable for multiple employment rights breaches against a former manager at Astronomy Ireland who said she was forced to quit due to a “toxic” work environment and alleged “serious financial irregularities”.
The club and four members of its management committee, including Mr Moore, have been ordered to pay more than €10,000 to the ex-employee, Sonya Martin, after she complained of constructive dismissal to the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC).
It follows a series of four hearings over nearly 11 months before the employment tribunal.
In the case, founder Mr Moore – known for his media appearances on astronomy and space exploration – objected repeatedly to being attached to the claim, alleged that Astronomy Ireland was “libelled” and later walked out of a hearing with his solicitor.
RM Block
The WRC heard Ms Martin was hired by Astronomy Ireland as an administrator in 2021 and promoted to manager in March 2022. She resigned in July 2023 following a long-term absence due to workplace stress, citing a “toxic work environment”, the tribunal was told.
“The whole situation has broken my heart and left me with the realisation that I can never return without further sacrificing my health and moral integrity,” she had told her employer in her resignation letter.
Ms Martin went out sick due to workplace stress following what she termed a “heated” meeting in December 2022 when she said she was “horrified” to be told by Mr Moore the club had no board.
Alan Crann, for Ms Martin, said his client felt she had been made “party to a fraud on the State” by Astronomy Ireland as she had made applications for public grant money on the basis it was governed by a board of directors.
Ms Martin said she was already suffering from workplace stress following months of pressure while she worked two jobs in the wake of the sacking of a junior employee.
After pressure from the committee about the amount of cash in the society’s bank accounts, a junior administrator, Nicole Doyle, raised concerns that Mr Moore was in the practice of “pocketing” speaking fees which were meant to be the society’s main revenue stream, Ms Martin said.
Legal submissions from the complainant stated the workplace environment at Astronomy Ireland became “very disruptive and tense” after Ms Doyle identified “serious financial irregularities”.
“They’d been nitpicking at me for months. It’s no way to treat staff. They’d bullied and harassed me for months on end,” Ms Martin said.
Mr Moore claimed last year the society had been “libelled” before the WRC, branding accusations of money going astray and financial irregularities as “false”.
Legal submissions made on behalf of Astronomy Ireland stated it was an “exemplary employer” which rejected strongly the allegations of bullying and harassment.
The tribunal’s taking of evidence on the case stalled in June last year after Mr Moore, who appeared at that stage without legal representation, told WRC adjudicator Jim Dolan that Astronomy Ireland’s status was “iffy in law” as “an unincorporated society, to the best of my knowledge”.
Mr Dolan said at that point he would have to consider whether “every single” subscribing member of Astronomy Ireland was answerable for the statutory claims.
As the hearings continued into 2025, Mr Moore made repeated objections to being attached personally to the claim and he told Mr Dolan he had not received hearing notifications.
“Emails are unreliable,” he said.
When Ms Martin’s solicitor, Daniel O’Connell, said the notification was sent by post, too, Mr Moore said: “The post is unreliable.”
Mr Dolan decided to attach as respondents to the statutory complaints all four members of a management committee identified by Mr Moore.
They include the club’s treasurer, Seamus Bonner, Mr Moore himself, and two club officers, Willie McDonagh and a woman who cannot be named by direction of the WRC.
Mr Moore appeared with a solicitor, Eugene Smartt, at a fourth hearing last May and renewed his objections to being attached. Mr Smartt argued Ms Martin was out of time to pursue the management committee,
Mr O’Connell said: “I don’t think my client should be punished for the fact that Astronomy Ireland haven’t got their house in order.”
Mr Dolan said: “Mr Moore is sitting there telling us he doesn’t recognise he’s the respondent in this. He signed the sign-in sheet 20 minutes ago: ‘David Moore, position: respondent’.”
In response, Mr Moore said: “I’m the respondent for Astronomy Ireland, it’s not for me personally.”
Then Mr Dolan told him: “I’m not adjourning.”
After further exchanges, Mr Moore and Mr Smartt left the hearing room and Mr Dolan concluded the case.
In a decision issued this week, the adjudicator upheld all but one of Ms Martin’s complaints.
He awarded four weeks’ wages in compensation, €3,077, for constructive dismissal in breach of the Unfair Dismissals Act 1977 on the basis there was “no mention of any steps to mitigate loss” on the part of Ms Martin.
He has awarded a further €7,707 for the employer’s failure to pay Ms Martin for statutory sick leave, annual leave and public holidays, and the failure to provide her with a written statement of her terms of employment.
Astronomy Ireland, Mr Moore, Mr McDonagh, Mr Bonner and the fourth management committee member have been directed to pay total compensation of €10,784 to Ms Martin within 42 days.
