Haughey's millions - Colm Keena

In 1979, when Charlie Haughey was voted leader of Fianna Fail and Taoiseach he gave a press conference. At it, he was asked where his money came from. He said the question presumed he was rich, which mightn't be the case: 'Ask my bank manager', he replied. We now know that that was a better joke than it seemed. At the time, he was in debt to AIB to the tune of IR Punt1.143 million. Haughey dominated Irish political life from the sixties to the nineties. He had always lived beyond his visible means. From 1969 on he lived like a prince in Kinsealy, at times on nothing more than a backbench TD's salary. Colm Keena traces the origins of Haughey's lifestyle back to the 1950s and to his early life as a partner in Haughey Boland & Co. He follows his early involvement with Des Traynor and his developing relationships with property developers. Through all the ups and downs of Haughey's amazing career, the financial background was always a mess. He was constantly in debt. The bank leaned on him. He leaned on his friends. Less than a fortnight after becoming Taoiseach, the property developer Patrick Gallagher agreed to contribute IR Punt300,000 towards a settlement of Haughey's bank debts.;While he was Taoiseach, the money rolled in. Haughey was in effect a kept man. Colm Keena traces the whole tangled story from beginning to end. It is a story that almost defies belief.