Bertie Ahern The Man Who Blew The Boom

Author : Colm Keena
Publisher : Gill & Macmillan Ltd
ISBN 13 : 0717151883
Total Pages : 456 pages
Book Rating : 4.82/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Bertie Ahern: The Man Who Blew the Boom written by Colm Keena and published by Gill & Macmillan Ltd. This book was released on 2011-10-21 with total page 456 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The fascinating story of the man who blew the boom. Colm Keena, the journalist who first broke the story of Bertie Ahern's finances, gives us an in-depth examination of the former Taoiseach's character, his lust for power and his obsession with money. Keena scrutinises the evidence produced by the Mahon Tribunal about Ahern's personal finances and his personal political machine, and illustrates the lengths to which Ahern went in his effort to hide the truth about what he was up to. Ahern's political career is re-charted in the light of what we now know about his character. Keena looks at how his desire for power existed alongside an almost complete absence of political conviction, this lack of which left him open to the influence of those with strong opinions, and did nothing to arrest his mismanagement of the Irish economy. His lust for popularity brought Ireland from rude good health to economic disaster. An historic opportunity was squandered, but Bertie walked away from the wreckage with his wallet bulging. His legacy: the near-destruction of a European economy and the collapse of one of the most successful political parties of the past hundred years.

Author : Colm Keena
Publisher : Gill & Macmillan Ltd
ISBN 13 : 0717167496
Total Pages : 303 pages
Book Rating : 4.94/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Haughey's Millions – On the Trail of Charlie's Money written by Colm Keena and published by Gill & Macmillan Ltd. This book was released on 2001-09-27 with total page 303 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Untangle the financial history of Charlie Haughey, Taoiseach and leader of Fianna Fáil, in Haughey's Millions, the must-read, bestselling exposé of one of Ireland's most controversial politicians Colm Keena, acclaimed Irish Times investigative journalist, examines the extraordinary career of Charlie 'the Boss' Haughey, the backbench TD who became Taoiseach (Prime Minister) and left a financial legacy that lingered long after his retirement from political life. As a politician, Haughey made a huge contribution to Irish life: he played a key role in the Northern Ireland peace process and he laid the foundations for the prosperity that arrived with the Celtic Tiger. But Haughey's Millions does not deal with Haughey's political history; instead Keena uncovers the subject that Haughey most wanted to avoid and you'll most want to read: the truth about his money. From elections to tribunal appearances, Haughey dominated the Irish political landscape from the '60s to the '90s and always lived visibly beyond his means. From his princely accommodation in Kinsealy to his penchant for horses, Haughey's extravagant spending made him look like a rich man on a TD's salary. In Haughey's Millions, Keena traces the origins of Haughey's lavish lifestyle back to the '50s and to his early life as a partner in Haughey, Boland & Co. Moving chronologically forward, Keena looks at Haughey's early involvement with Des Traynor and his developing relationships with property developers and other key entrepreneurs and business figures. Keena's investigations take him up to the Moriarty and McCracken tribunals of the mid-'90s, set up to investigate the alleged financial corruption at the heart of Haughey's infamous political reign. Under the microscope of Keena's investigations, Haughey's financial dealings are revealed. In Haughey's Millions, Keena gives you the whole tangled story of a politician who lived like a prince, from beginning to ignominious end. Haughey's Millions: Table of Contents Introduction Part One: 1925–1987 - A Descendant of Kings - The Tax Commissioner's Residence - The Wilderness Years - Banking Secrets - Horse Dealers and Hoteliers - Helping Ciarán Part Two: 1987–1992 - Back in Business - Tralee Again - A New Disciple - Money for the Boss - Brian Lenihan - Financial Services - Taxing the Taoiseach Part Three: 1992– - Bowing Out Gracefully - Helicopters Again - An Innocent Bystander - Disclosure - Endgame - The Case for the Defence

Author : Colm Keena
Publisher : Gill
ISBN 13 : 9780717150694
Total Pages : 0 pages
Book Rating : 4.90/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Bertie written by Colm Keena and published by Gill. This book was released on 2011 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The fascinating story of the man who blew the boom. Colm Keena, the journalist who first broke the story of Bertie Ahern's finances, gives us an in-depth examination of the former Taoiseach's character, his lust for power and his obsession with money. Keena scrutinises the evidence produced by the Mahon Tribunal about Ahern's personal finances and his personal political machine, and illustrates the lengths to which Ahern went in his effort to hide the truth about what he was up to. Ahern's political career is re-charted in the light of what we now know about his character. Keena looks at how his desire for power existed alongside an almost complete absence of political conviction, this lack of which left him open to the influence of those with strong opinions, and did nothing to arrest his mismanagement of the Irish economy. His lust for popularity brought Ireland from rude good health to economic disaster. An historic opportunity was squandered, but Bertie walked away from the wreckage with his wallet bulging. His legacy: the near-destruction of a European economy and the collapse of one of the most successful political parties of the past hundred years.

Author : Bertie Ahern
Publisher : Random House
ISBN 13 : 1409067335
Total Pages : 386 pages
Book Rating : 4.37/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Bertie Ahern Autobiography written by Bertie Ahern and published by Random House. This book was released on 2009-10-13 with total page 386 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Bertie Ahern, three times Irish Taoiseach, is often described as an enigma. The Old IRA man's son who delivered peace in Northern Ireland. A working class boy responsible for the Celtic Tiger. The man of faith who ushered in progressive, cosmopolitan secular Ireland. An ardent nationalist admired by European leaders. 'I know 25 per cent of Bertie Ahern', said his finance minister, Charlie McCreevy, 'and that's 24 per cent more than anyone else.' Now in this frank and revealing autobiography, Ahern gives his own account of a remarkable political life and the personal story that accompanies it. He shows the cost to his family of a life played out in the public eye and, for the first time, discloses what really happened in his final weeks in power. Here for the first time is the truth behind the man who is Bertie. Ahern has been at the cutting edge of Irish politics for over three decades. He was first elected to Dáil Éireann in the Fianna Fáil landslide victory in 1977 that saw Jack Lynch returned as Taoiseach. In 1982, Charles Haughey appointed him Government Chief Whip. In volatile political times, he strongly supported Haughey during three challenges to his leadership of Fianna Fáil. In 1987, Bertie Ahern received his first cabinet portfolio as Minister for Labour. It was a time when the Irish economy was in crisis. Ireland had a higher debt per head than Ethiopia or Sudan. Unemployment stood at 16%. Ahern negotiated Ireland's first social partnership agreement, which underpinned economic recovery and put in place the foundations for a period of sustained growth. In 1991, he was appointed Minister for Finance. International commentators first began to refer to 'Ireland's Tiger economy' in this period. When Bertie Ahern left the Department of Finance in late 1994, for the first time in almost 30 years, Ireland had a budget surplus. Bertie Ahern succeeded Albert Reynolds as leader of Fianna Fáil in November 1994. Following the General Election in 1997, he became Ireland's youngest ever Taoiseach. The Ahern Era was a time of unprecedented progress in Irish society. Over the course of his tenure in office, Ireland's economy out-performed that of every other European country. For the first time ever, the number of people in employment in the State reached 2 million. Working closely with Bill Clinton and Tony Blair, Ahern won widespread acclaim for his perseverance and skill in negotiating the Good Friday Agreement, which has provided the political framework for a lasting peace in Northern Ireland. On the international stage, he was a respected figure who enjoyed an acclaimed Presidency of the European Council in 2004. He presided over the completion of the largest ever expansion of the EU and concluded negotiations on a European constitution. He is one of only five visiting statesmen to have addressed both the United States Congress and the Houses of Parliament in Westminster. At home, Ahern enjoyed phenomenal electoral support. He was the first Taoiseach since 1944 to win three successive General Elections. Bertie Ahern resigned on 6th May, 2008. He had served for ten years, ten months and ten days as Taoiseach.

Author : Richard Curran
Publisher : Gill & Macmillan Ltd
ISBN 13 : 0717155811
Total Pages : 468 pages
Book Rating : 4.11/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Fingers: The Man Who Brought Down Irish Nationwide and Cost Us €5.4bn written by Richard Curran and published by Gill & Macmillan Ltd. This book was released on 2013-02-22 with total page 468 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Michael Fingleton was an Irish banking legend, the ultimate big money lender. He took Irish Nationwide Building Society from an obscure mortgage provider to a multi-billion euro property-lending casino, leaving the taxpayer to pick up the tab for €5.4 billion when the society eventually went bust. Fingleton earned over €2 million per year and built up a pension fund worth €27 million. But it was his loans to a small group of property developers and the way the society was mismanaged, under the nose of the Financial Regulator that cost Irish citizens so dearly. In Fingers, Tom Lyons and Richard Curran use previously unpublished material to blow open the failings of the society's internal systems and controls, its culture and the dominance of one man. They get inside the organisation and bring startling new revelations about how money was really lent out to a small group of developers, how INBS failed, and what the Financial Regulators knew. Fingers explores: - Fingleton's connections with politics, the media and the powerful - How the society wasn't just a lender but became a player, taking stakes and shares in the profits of the ventures it bankrolled - How Fingleton quaffed vintage wine in the finest restaurants, stayed in five-star hotels and put it all on the society's tab - How ordinary borrowers in arrears were treated ruthlessly, while the mega-rich walked away owing billions to us. Fingers goes to the heart of the state's failure to hold anybody to account for the Irish financial crash. It highlights the need for a proper banking inquiry to explain to the public what went wrong, how, and who is to blame.

Author : Donal Donovan
Publisher : OUP Oxford
ISBN 13 : 0191640581
Total Pages : 352 pages
Book Rating : 4.82/5 ( download)

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Download or read book The Fall of the Celtic Tiger written by Donal Donovan and published by OUP Oxford. This book was released on 2013-06-06 with total page 352 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: By 2000, Ireland had achieved a remarkable macroeconomic performance: 10% economic growth annually, a budget surplus, and a very low debt to GDP ratio. Emigration had disappeared and there was significant immigration from Eastern Europe. Yet, by November 2010, output had collapsed to an extent unprecedented among post war industrial countries, the budget deficit was out of control, and the debt to GDP ratio had soared to around 100%. In an unprecedented development, Ireland was forced to apply for an emergency bail-out package from the Troika (European Commission, European Central Bank, and the International Monetary Fund). This book examines how the Celtic Tiger, a high growth performing economy, fell into a macroeconomic abyss. It is a story that shows how the Irish economy moved from a property market crisis to a banking crisis and fiscal crisis, and how these three crises led to a fourth crisis, the massive financial crisis of 2010. Against the backdrop of the newly created Eurozone, the book demonstrates how a housing boom was transformed into a property market bubble through excessive credit creation. Accompanying the market bubble, buoyant property related taxes enabled a profligate government to over spend and under tax. Few, either in Ireland or Europe, recognised the danger signals because the prevailing economic ideology suggested that financial markets could self-regulate. The book analyses the roles of banks, builders, developers, regulators (the EU, the ECB, the Central Bank of Ireland, and the Irish Financial Regulator), politicians, economists, the media, and a property driven populace during the various stages of the downfall of the Celtic Tiger. It pays particular attention to the decisions to provide a highly controversial comprehensive guarantee for the covered Irish banks in 2008, and the subsequent events that left the government with no alternative but to request the 2010 bail out. Throughout the book, attention is devoted to the allocation of responsibilities for the unfolding crises. First, who or what was responsible for what happened and in what sense? Second, could specific actions have been taken at various stages to prevent the final recourse to the bail out? Finally, the book addresses the future of the Celtic Tiger. It discusses the impact of measures to help resolve the current Euro debt crisis as well as the underlying lessons to be learned from this traumatic period in Ireland's economic and financial history.

Author : Ken Whelan
Publisher : Mainstream Publishing
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 236 pages
Book Rating : 4.30/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Bertie Ahern written by Ken Whelan and published by Mainstream Publishing. This book was released on 1998 with total page 236 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Ireland's prime minister, Bertie Ahern, has had an incredible political career. This penetrating biography delves into the complex world of Irish politics, examining Ahern's rise to power, his complicated personal life, his allies and enemies, and his vital role in the peace talks.

Author : Henry Patterson
Publisher : Penguin
ISBN 13 : 1844881040
Total Pages : 449 pages
Book Rating : 4.48/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Ireland Since 1939 written by Henry Patterson and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2008-02-26 with total page 449 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A compelling narrative of contemporary Ireland from one of its most highly respected historians The Ireland of today is a place poised between the divisiveness of deep-seated conflict and the modernizing pull of material prosperity. Though each state's history is strikingly divergent, the mirroring ideologies that fuel them are remarkably symbiotic. With Ireland Since 1939, one of the most distinguished Irish historians working today casts a fresh and unpredictable eye to Ireland's history from World War II up through the present to show how-by putting aside its North/South conflict-Ireland can look forward to a prosperous economic future.

Author : Fintan O'Toole
Publisher : PublicAffairs
ISBN 13 : 1586488821
Total Pages : 240 pages
Book Rating : 4.26/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Ship of Fools written by Fintan O'Toole and published by PublicAffairs. This book was released on 2010-03-02 with total page 240 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The death of the Celtic tiger is not an extinction event to trouble naturalists. There was, in fact nothing natural about this tiger, if it ever really existed. The "Irish Economic miracle" was built on good old-fashioned subsidies (from the European Union) and the simple fact that until the 1980s Ireland was by the standards of the developed world so economically backward that the only way was up. And as it began to catch up to European and American averages, the Irish economy could boast some seemingly remarkable statistics. These lured in investors, the Irish deregulated and all but abandoned financial oversight, and a great Irish financial ceilidh began. It would last for a decade. When the global financial crash of 2008 arrived it struck Ireland harder than anywhere - even Iceland looked like a model of rectitude compared to the fiasco that stretched from Cork to Dublin. There was an avalanche of statistics as toxic as the property-based assets that lay beneath many of them And under all this rubble lay the corpse of the Celtic Tiger. How Ireland managed to achieve such a spectacular implosion is a stunning story of corruption, carelessness and venality, told with passion and fury by one of Ireland's most respected journalists and commentators.

Author : Fodor's Travel Publications, Inc.
Publisher : Fodors Travel Publications
ISBN 13 : 1400005531
Total Pages : 385 pages
Book Rating : 4.36/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Fodor's See It Ireland written by Fodor's Travel Publications, Inc. and published by Fodors Travel Publications. This book was released on 2011 with total page 385 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The colorful guide that brings Ireland to life • PHOTOS by the hundred • 30 pages of COLOR MAPS • REVIEWS of sights, restaurants, hotels, and shops, grouped by region for easy navigation • PRACTICAL INFORMATION in every listing • WALKING and DRIVING tours • Cool INSIDER TIPS • “BEST OF” lists that make itinerary planning a snap