One more thing: Red Flag raised in Paris as O’Reilly marches on Rome

The excellent RTÉ documentary this week on the travails of Sir Anthony O'Reilly included an interview with his oilman son, Tony Junior. Or JR for short.

The Providence Resources chief executive has been skipping appointments in Dublin recently, sparking speculation that he is busy tying up a deal to sell a stake in its Barryroe project.

Not only did he miss the Energy Institute’s dinner in the Doubletree hotel, as reported recently, but he was also absent from Ian Hyland’s Ireland Inc Summit, where he was due on one of the panels.

There was no sign in the documentary of another son, Gavin O’Reilly (Bobby?). It ain’t all rock ’n’ roll for the boss of music talent outfit The Agency Group, which recently expanded through the acquisiton of the Coalition talent agency, which represents Brian McFadden, the former Westlife warbler.

Red Flag, the political and strategy advisers chaired by former IN&M boss Gavin, is also opening a new office in Paris, adding to its existing offices in Brussels, Dublin and London.

The company is led by former IN&M spinner Karl Brophy, who plans to take the team to Rome for their Christmas party. The trip includes a tour of the Vatican, presumably to pray for a hangover cure.

Sir Ivor Roberts, a Red Flag director who formerly sat on O'Reilly Sr's hallowed international advisory board in IN&M, should be the man in charge of the itinerary.

As a former British ambassador to Italy, he once lived in Rome.