BRUSSELS, Aug 25 (Reuters) – EU trade chief Phil Hogan said on Tuesday he had complied with public health rules while in Ireland in the past month, although admitted that he should not have attended a golf dinner that has caused a furore in the country.

“To the best of my knowledge and ability I believe that I complied with public health regulations in Ireland during my visit,” Hogan said in a statement which also outlined his trips in his home county Kilkenny and the golf dinner in Galway.

“Again I now recognize that the event should not have proceeded and I should not have attended,” Hogan said. (Reporting by Foo Yun Chee; editing by Philip Blenkinsop)