An annual meeting of the Asthma Society of Ireland ended in disarray at the weekend following disputes about whether the gathering was convened properly.
The meeting, billed as the annual general meeting, was to be held in a 30-minute interval during a debate on asthma in Trinity College Dublin on Saturday morning.
The advertisement for the meeting said it was to be chaired by the society's chairman, Mr John Minihan. Mr Minihan, who is also chairman of the Progressive Democrats, did not attend.
However, Mr James McNulty, a solicitor for Mr Minihan, introduced himself as the chairman of the Asthma Society. He said the annual general meeting would not be held as it was "inappropriate", but the debate could go ahead.
A member of the society, Mr Alan Toal, said it was unbelievable that the board was seeking "yet again" to postpone the a.g.m. that had already been deferred from September.
Mr Toal, along with others from the floor, asked why Mr Minihan was not present and said Mr McNulty had no authority as chairman.
Mr McNulty said he had been "co-opted" on to the board earlier in the week at "a properly convened directors' meeting which was properly held".
He had been appointed by four board members, Mr John Minihan, Mr Sean Minihan, Mr Patrick Kelly and Ms Patricia Coleman, he said.
People shouted from the floor that Mr McNulty was unknown to the society. He replied that he had been previously co-opted into the society as a director but had resigned. He said he would not discuss the reasons for his resignation but as chairman he would reconvene the a.g.m. as soon as he could arrange it.
A former society administrator, Mr Oran O Muire, said Saturday's a.g.m. had been convened with the agreement of the directors and had to go ahead because next Saturday was the time limit within which an a.g.m. had to be held.
He said it was quite impossible that Mr McNulty was chairman of the society as the meeting electing him could not have been valid as four of the 10 directors had not received notification of it despite a requirement of three days' notice. Mr McNulty said he had tried to contact all the directors.
Mr Pat Flanagan, a director, said he was not invited to the meeting electing Mr McNulty. That was "a very serious issue", but the a.g.m. should go ahead.
Mr McNulty said the a.g.m. could not continue because Mr Minihan had not signed the company accounts.
Mr Toal said that Mr McNulty's appointment was "flawed", and there was a majority vote from the members present for Mr McNulty to stand down and for the a.g.m. to continue.
A new board of directors was then elected.
