“His attendance at this event was wrong and an error of judgement on his part,” Irish leader Micheál Martin said in a statement. “People all over the country have made very difficult, personal sacrifices in their family lives and in their businesses to comply with Covid regulations."
Ireland has significantly tightened key restrictions this week after a spike in cases.
Calleary apologized in a series of tweets on Thursday, expressing “sincere regret” to his government colleagues.
In an interview with Newstalk radio station earlier that day, Calleary had urged Irish people to reduce their social contacts, insisting on the fact that “everyone had a role to play in this.”
Several other Irish politicians who attended the dinner were facing mounting pressure to resign amid public uproar on Friday.