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WATCH: There was a brief moment of hilarity at the banking inquiry earlier

It got fierce exciting for a minute there.

THE BANKING INQUIRY has, bar one or two exceptions, been pretty boring stuff for the last six months.

The idea of a parliamentary inquiry into a crisis that took place some years ago and which has already been the subject of much scrutiny hasn’t got pulses racing among the general public.

That’s why we’re quite thankful for moments like today when former Department of Finance secretary general John Moran was before the inquiry committee.

As he delivered his opening statement, Moran had to stop as a phone went off with a rather obscure ringtone. Senator Seán Barrett was quickly identified as the culprit and fumbled to cancel the call.

But seconds later it was off again.

As Moran quipped that it might be his mum, Barrett practically ran out of the room to deal with the persistent caller.

That prompted cries of “senator, senator…” before the inquiry had to be suspended briefly…

Video TheJournal.ie / YouTube

Barrett later apologised for the “electronic interruption”.

Read: ‘People want the drama of overpaid bankers and reckless developers, but it’s not that simple’

WATCH: The curious case of the financial regulator and the branded golf balls

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