"I'm looking forward to going into the tribunal and giving my own version of events," Mr Denis O'Brien said yesterday.

The tribunal is the inquiry being conducted by Mr Justice Moriarty into the affairs of Mr Michael Lowry and the events relate to the disclosure of links between the telecoms multimillionaire and the finances of the former minister.

Mr O'Brien suggested yesterday that his account would differ from "some of the media commentary in some of the organs of the press" that followed the resumption of the Moriarty Tribunal on Tuesday.

Speaking at the annual conference of the small and medium business organisation, ISME, in Athlone, Co Westmeath, he said: "I'm delighted to get away from Dublin, telecoms investments and other matters at hand."

He told The Irish Times: "We're co-operating fully with the tribunal and I'm looking forward to going into the tribunal and giving my side of the story."

When that would be, he said, was the problem. "Certain things are put out into the media with no opportunity for the person concerned to give their account of things. It does take some weeks before that person goes in; in the meantime, there is a frenzy." He thought people named should be allowed to give evidence sooner.

Asked if he thought the reports that linked him with four payments involving Mr Lowry would have a negative impact on his expected bid, through his eIsland consortium, for Eircom - at "a delicate time" as Mr Justice Moriarty put it - Mr O'Brien replied: "None whatsoever. Certain people will try and make it an issue." In between fielding reporters' questions, he faced a barrage of photographers.

Mr O'Brien had his own question for a particularly industrious Irish Independent photographer. "Are you going to send these to Castlemartin, are you?" - Castlemartin is the Co Kildare home of the executive chairman of Independent Newspapers, Sir Anthony O'Reilly, who is fronting a consortium competing for Eircom. But the photographer was not to be put off. "Here, take my back," Mr O'Brien suggested, before asking: " Are you doing aerobics lessons there?"

Mr O'Brien was the main speaker in a panel discussion on whether the Celtic Tiger had become impotent. Had it? journalists inquired. "It just needs a little cuddle and a bit of stroking and it will perform well," he advised.

Having complained about the State's infrastructure and the fact that it takes one hour and 45 minutes to make the 64-mile journey from Dublin to Athlone, Mr O'Brien was collected by helicopter to go to his next appointment.