Paralympian takes case against Dublin restaurant

Irish paralympian cyclist Martin Gordon has taken a discrimination case against a Dublin restaurant, claiming he was refused entry because he had his guide dog with him.

The case is being taken under the Equal Status Act against La Maison, Castle Market, Dublin 2 and it opened today at the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC).

Mr Gordon, who is blind, represented Ireland in tandem para-cycling in the Tokyo Paralympics in 2020.

Today’s hearing was told that Mr Gordon will state that he was refused service at the restaurant in January 2023 due to a no dogs policy.

The WRC heard that La Maison is expected to dispute this and will argue that when staff became aware that Mr Gordon had a guide dog, they looked for a table but only had room for Mr Gordon’s party outside as the indoor tables were fully booked.

The parties were sworn-in at today’s hearing but before witnesses could give their evidence, matters were adjourned for a time to allow for legal argument.

When the hearing resumed, WRC adjudicator Brian Dalton said he would set aside a full day to hear evidence in the coming weeks.

The case was adjourned until a future date yet to be set by the WRC.