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Updated at 10.16am
MARY O’ROURKE HAS said she wants to put the Banking Inquiry “on notice” that she and other members of the late Brian Lenihan’s family will be keeping a close eye on proceedings in the coming months.
The former Education Minister, an aunt of the late finance minister, has written to the Banking Inquiry committee along with her nephew, Conor Lenihan, a former minister of state and brother of Brian.
She said she and Conor Lenihan may have information useful to the committee which is not in the public domain – although she added several times in the course of a Morning Ireland interview today that she had “no desire” personally to appear before the Inquiry.
Asked whether she had any documents or other records that might be useful, as the committee carried out its work, she said she didn’t “but I have a memory like everybody else, and I am lucky in that it is a very good memory”.
“We wished to put the committee under notice that we will be following events and listening obviously, and reading what the various witnesses to the committee will be saying.”
The Banking Inquiry is expected to hear from ex-taoiseach Brian Cowen and former finance minister Charlie McCreevy sometime in July. Former taoiseach Bertie Ahern is also expected to be asked to appear.
Speaking at the weekend, Cowen told reporters that there had been no question that he overruled Brian Lenihan when his minister of finance said that Anglo Irish Bank and Irish Nationwide should be nationalised in 2008.
Central Bank Governor Patrick Honohan had previously told the Inquiry that Lenihan was overruled on the issue – not saying by whom specifically, but noting he was “not the senior politician in the room”.
Asked whether she or Conor Lenihan might have any input on that issue, O’Rourke said “that may emerge”.
“That may emerge in the evidence that the past Taoiseach will give, that Brian Cowen will give. It may be amplified. Perhaps Patrick Honohan wishes to amplify what he said, so we will be watching those matters very carefully in the interests of fair play.”
She added that she was “well aware” of limits placed on evidence concerning a person who is deceased.
O’Rourke said her letter to the clerk of the committee had been sent before Cowen gave his doorstep interview on Friday night.
On the general question of what her late nephew told her about his input to the government’s handling of the banking crash she said ”he did confide in me, of course he did – I was very close to him.”
“So he confided many things in me as he did to his brother, Conor Lenihan.”
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Well there goes the “blame the dead guy” strategy.
I’d say Mammy O’Rourke knows where quite a few bodies are buried and she’s not afraid of rattling cages to protect de good name of de family!
I guess as usual blood is thicker than water.
Exactly ‘Mammy knows best’ and screw the lot of them in FF too save a few reputations.
My late father used to play handball with Brian Lenehan Senior when he was a kid in Athlone. I’d like to think the family stand up for me too.
*would stand up
“We wished to put the committee under notice that we will be following events and listening obviously, and reading what the various witnesses to the committee will be saying.”
If that is not a lightly veiled threat..
don’t pile all the dirt on the deceased lads.!
Aunty O’ Rourke is watching you.!
I really hope she is forced to follow through with her implied threat and lift the lid on the whole dirty business of Fianna Fail/Banking/Eu politics. Let the mud slinging begin.
Sure didn’t they fill the potholes in for ya too.
Just hoping no praying Connor does not use it relaunch his political career.
Sounds more like Mammy O’Rourke is telling the boys and girls in the playground, “I’m watching you!”
That’s a proverbial shot across Cowan’s bow…. Tell the truth Brian. Mammy’s watching. Well, if he’s trying to cover his ample hole by shifting some blame to a dead man then fair play to her. Speak up.
We the public will also be keeping a very close eye, on yet another waste of taxpayers money!
All she has to say is we sold out the country and did a runner with our pensions , thanks idiots please vote for my grandchildren .
They can’t handle the truth
The only good politician( in Ireland) is a dead politician..
McCreevey and Cowen were the two finance ministers who really screwed the country over, by the time Lenihan took the office he was handed an atomic bomb with the timer set and no way to defuse it. He certainly didn’t do anything to improve the situation, but the wheels were firmly in motion by then.
I think it’s important to keep in mind that a deceased person isn’t in a position to defend themselves, however that doesn’t mean he should be immune from criticism when it’s fair and accurate.
It Was McCreevey who introduced Irelands low rate of Corporation tax.
Where old ghosts lie CJH still haunts this country
Man, I’m no fan of FF or McCreevey, he’s a squeaky, annoying man, and reminds me of the fella who goes around to dank hotels and gets them to paint the place.
But when he started to utter that our public sector was terribly inefficient and needed to be completely overhauled to match the private sector in terms of efficiency, the tabloids said he was a monster and FF sent him off to Europe.
Actually, I’ll go ahead and scratch all of that… sorry, Monday’s are hard…
Please, just go away and take all your clan with you.
The arrogance of it. ‘Under notice’
Cloak and Dagger party politics. Protect us and we’ll protect you. Disgusting.
The man’s not around to defend himself so I guess it’s only right that there is someone too
Brian Lenihan had plenty of time to set the record straight.
It took Enda Kenny almost 4 years to release the Trichet letter.
Kenny had plenty of time to set the record straight, whereas, if Lenihan believed the threat, he didn’t.
Anything she says now about what she was told by the late Brian Lenihan that could have changed anything substantially at the time, and wasn’t acted upon, will only drag FF lower and damage the memory.
FF failing to defend Lenihan against attack by FG because to do so would harm current FF leadership is what she’s getting at.
If she has useful information she should have no option but to appear before the committee not just wait and see!!
Anybody can claim to have useful information.
“If she has useful information she should have no option but to appear before the committee not just wait and see!!”
Omerta still rules, but ..
Wasn’t it 2 years in a row that Brian lenihan was voted by his European peers as “The E.U’s worst minister for finance”……
Wonder if that insufferable detestable woman who’s his aunt will refute that title bestowed on that incumbent nephew of hers at the inquiry
A report was given to Lenihan showing the state of the banks and building societies in Ireland. He choose to just scan the thing and missed out on the massive hole that was in Fingleton’s building society. Incompetent is the only word for him.
An attempt to re-write history perhaps?
An attempt to prevent it being re-written?
Is she still on the payroll of the tax payers.
If you count her pension ,yes .
In retirement, she received a lump sum of €237,000 and an annual pension of €97,000. No problem paying water bills etc.
Problems like water bills are only for the little people.
Most of them don’t even vote anyway..
If Mary O’Rourke has “information of interest to the committee” the she should be compelled to attend whether or not she has any desire to do so.
Ivon, the man was not up to his brief, way out if his dept and as a result crippled generations with an unfair taxation burden to bail our the banks that are now turfing people out because they cant pay their mortgage because they are skint from paying bank bailout taxes. Ffs the man left misery and destruction in his wake. And as for the being over ruled by Cowan excuse, he could have resigned but he didn’t so he bears the responsibility for his disastrous decisions that he took.
Charlie McCreevy and Bertie have far more to answer for than anybody else. Brian Lenihan took the flak when the train went off the tracks but the damage was done years before that.
Charlie McCreevy created full employment with his tax reforms. He also set up the pension reserve fund. He was a bit of a maverick and never a yes man. When he tried to rein in the spending and introduce restraint in the building sector Bertie shafted him and packed him off to Europe. Make no mistake Bertie Ahern is responsible for our economic crash
this oulone just won’t accept that her nephew hadn’t a clue what he was doing and made a bollix of the kip.
Trichet letter?
part of it alright but he said this would be the cheapest bailout in history he was totally clueless in his role .
Non of them ever had a clue what they were doing.
In this case it is obvious that Lenehan was only told a fraction of the truth-and railroaded into breaking the country.
Motor-mouth Mary, can’t accept the truth, her nephew was simply not able for the job. She also can’t accept that she is past tense and no amount of blabbering will excuse what Fianna Fáil did to the country.
If her nephew had not left the room so unexpectedly, he would be the leader of rump Fianna Fail, and Tanaiste after the next election when FF & FG coalesce in order to enforce the water charges.
Why are people (like the Tipperary crowd who vote for Alan Kelly and Michael Lowry) with their own private wells not being asked to pay 1000 Euros per annum for tapping into the underground water table.?
Because neither of them would ever be re-elected.
Pile the taxes on to the urban population.!
Always thought it must have been some weird Masonic pact or something to makt two men sell out their entire country in the dead of night. What were they afraid of and why didn’t they put it to the people
The apparatus of the state has always primarily served the interest of capital over those of the citizens and the night of the bank guarantee was no different.
Prom Night was a much more interesting example.
Political dynasties , family business, where will it all end ?
The circus needs more clowns.
Rule number 1 for FF. never write anything down and you can spin it anyway you life.
It is a shame that Mary was not paying more attention and speaking out when Brian and his cronies were ruining the country with crazy economic policies.
As mentioned elsewhere in the comments section to this piece, McCreevy tried hard to ring the changes and reform the public service in early 00′s but dissenting voices are neither encouraged nor welcomed in the corridors of power.
“Don’t rock the boat”, seems to be the key message for reforming and conscientious Ministers witnessing the problems and bottlenecks first hand…any disobedience is rewarded with the boot, or if popular, off to rich pastures in EU.
It’s a thundering disgrace that no head honcho civil servant, banker or politician can be brought to book over Ireland’s economy being steered over a cliff between 2002 and 2008 by the well-paid suits in the establishment with the well upholstered posteriors living off the fat of the land!
Enda’s critical assessment on what happened during that era was that “we all went a little mad ”
I disagree! The main madness was with those at the levers of power! Hopefully, there’s an appropriate full time medical person in there keeping a watchful eye for any repeat?
The cover your ass tactic from mammy will one of many to silence the enquiry in the end like Mahon and other tribunals it will merely feed the lawyers.
She loves the limelight but she’s just another wagon on the gravy train of endless pensions,if she has information appear before the inquiry not just threaten it,ray Burke did the same thing with his veiled threats
Yes Anthony, I remember Ray Burke threatened to expose his colleagues criminality in Fianna Fail, but he decided against it,as they were unable to effect a cover up for him for any longer.
yes protect, the wrong doers,”at all costs”. Never mind the Irish people who”s lives have been destroyed in the wake of disasterous decisions they made.
She should just get on with it and spit it out! Most likely it won’t be very shocking news to any of us! None of the banking enquiry has been! What she says now just stinks of idle threats!
Can’t wait for all the culprits to be brought out in leg irons.
Mary must have another book launch on the horizon. ..and as for her nephew Mr “Vincent if you persist with this line I will meet you head on” he’s just an ass hole…..
Too late to be keeping watch now, the horse has bolted as they say. The horses asses are all that’s left us, to pay the price.
Let the dead rest in peace not Wright for ye not many many in his condition could have done any better
horseshite typical Irish attitude sure he was a grand lad (when you die) irrespective what you did in life .
Mark, nobody is proposing to dig up his remains and interrogate him.
I suspect that’s what FG will be bemoaning.
They will be shouting “Why, why why?” as they claim they had no option but to screw the nation up on prom night.
MM knows more than he is saying but will only speak if it does not harm his election chances.
Mary must have another book launch, and as for Mr “Vincent if you persist with this I will meet you head on” Coner
This woman should put up or shut up!
Err, it would seem that the Banking Enquiry is “being put under notice” that the Solicitors for the Lenihan family are straining at the leash at the prospect of a good oul’ defamation action. I could be wrong of course. :-)
She doesn’t know when to f–k off but they love her in rte they always seem to think that her input is invaluable a bit like Mary Hanafin her pearls of wisdom are something we can’t be let do without
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