Associated Newspapers has settled an unfair dismissal case taken against it by a former social diarist with the Irish Daily Mail.
The newspaper hired James Gibbons in 2008. Former managing editor of the newspaper Paul Drury told the tribunal that it was Mr Gibbons’s role to write about “glamorous parties”, “glittering gatherings” and the “comings and goings of high society”.
Mr Gibbons currently co-writes the “Social Network” column in The Irish Times.
Mr Drury said Mr Gibbons began as a freelance contributor writing the “Talk of the Town” column and was later given a staff position.
Mr Drury said Mr Gibbons “did an excellent job” providing “specialised social diary” content five days a week, which in a country as small as Ireland was difficult to do.
The paper employed a separate showbusiness correspondent, he said.
Mr Gibbons was made redundant in April 2011, after Mr Drury had ceased as managing editor.
The Irish Daily Mail subsequently introduced a “Red Carpet” column, Mr Drury said, the content for which was primarily international showbusiness stories, with occasional Irish stories, drawn from the Mail Online, which provided “vast quantities of international showbiz news and gossip”.
Mr Drury said Mr Gibbons was “not replaced” as a diary columnist.
Counsel for Mr Gibbons put it to Mr Drury that after Mr Gibbons’s redundancy, stories such as those he was hired to write continued to appear in the paper.
She said that although Mr Gibbons’s “Talk of the Town” column was replaced, “the work did continue to exist”.
Citing an article about the Cheltenham racing festival that referred to the attendance of Westlife singer Shane Filan and his wife, she said the reporter pictured in the story wore a fascinator headpiece suggesting “a high society aspect” to the reporting.
Mr Drury responded: “If you regard Mr Filan and his wife as high society. I for one wouldn’t.”
Irish designer Paul Costelloe was also mentioned in the article. Mr Drury said he would regard Mr Costelloe as “high society”.
Mr Drury said he was “not excessively” surprised when he heard Mr Gibbons was made redundant. He said the column was started when the economy was buoyant.
Counsel for Mr Gibbons said he was “anxious to return to work with the newspaper” and was “seeking reinstatement”.
Before evidence was due to be heard from Mr Drury’s successor, Eric Bailey, it was announced the case had been settled.
