After 15 years the final report of the Mahon tribunal has been published
The tribunal lasted 917 days
Running to 3,270 pages, it stops short of making a finding of corruption against Bertie Ahern
However it has found that the former Taoiseach failed to truthfully account for the source of lodgements made to his bank account
It says much of the explanation provided by Mr Ahern about his finances was deemed by the tribunal to be untrue
The Government says it will refer the report to the Garda Commissioner, the Director of Public Prosecutions, the Revenue Commissioners and to the Standards in Public Office Commission
On Friday’s Morning Focus Marian Egan spoke with Conor Ryan, Investigative Correspondent with the Irish Examiner who detailed what was contained in the report
Marian discussed the findings with Deputies Michael McNamara of the Labour Party, Joe Carey of Fine Gael and Pat Breen of
Fine Gael
Timmy Dooley TD, Vice President of Fianna Fail discussed his party’s position on the findings
In a statement issued after last night’s meeting of the party’s officer board – the Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin said Bertie Ahern betrayed the trust placed in him by the country and by Fianna Fail
He said Mr Ahern’s conduct as outlined in the Mahon Tribunal report was unbecoming – and he pledged to propose a motion to expel him as a member of Fianna Fail at a special meeting of the National Executive next week
A similar move is being made against former EU commissioner Padraig Flynn – who was found to be corrupt by the tribunal report
And three former councillors GV Wright, Finbar Hanrahan and Don Lydon will also be expelled
Charles Stanley-Smith of An Taisce -The National Trust for Ireland – welcomed the publication of the Mahon Tribunal Report which has exposed the endemic corruption at the heart of the Irish Planning System
An Taisce once more calls for the setting up of an Independent Planning Regulator.
The Clare Anti Household Charge Campaign will be among hundreds travelling to Dublin this Saturday for a National Rally and Assembly of the Campaign Against the Household & Water Taxes
Up to 3,000 people are expected to take part in the meeting of the campaign, with representatives from every county in the state
The event begins at 1pm in the National Stadium on the South Circular Rd., and will be over by 4pm
Busses will be leaving from Clare, Limerick & Tipperary
Marian had a word with spokesperson Chris Quin. Contact Chris on 086 8225612.
The West Clare Railway – The Archaeology of Narrow Gauge Railways is the next talk in the North Clare Historical Society’s lecture series will take place on Monday at the Courthouse Ennistymon
The narrow gauge railway system was put in place in the closing decades of the nineteenth century to serve remote, marginalised areas in the west of Ireland
The talk will address the development of these lines in Munster, with particular focus on the West Clare Railway
It examines the material remains in order to assess what an archaeological study of these lines can contribute to the understanding of broader patterns of social change in 19th century Ireland
Edel Barry is the Buildings Archaeologist giving the talk- she spoke with Marian about what people can expect to hear on Monday.
The third Pakie Ryan Challenge takes place in Newmarket on Fergus tomorrow
The Charities for 2012 are Milford Care Centre, Mid West Rape Crisis Centre and Clare Crusaders
Paul Touhy – organiser of the Pakie Ryan Memorial Event – encouraged people to support.
If you have a story, comment or query for the Morning Focus team email Focus@clare.fm
