TAOISEACH BRIAN Cowen has revealed he was joined by another director of Anglo Irish Bank for dinner at the Druids Glen golf complex in Co Wicklow after his controversial game of golf with the bank’s then chairman Seán FitzPatrick in July 2008.
Mr Cowen told the Dáil yesterday “a big slowdown in our economy” had been discussed at the meal, but the affairs of the bank did not arise.
In response to a question from Sinn Féin Dáil leader Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin, who happened to be at Druids Glen for a function on the same date, Mr Cowen disclosed that after his game with Mr FitzPatrick and Fintan Drury, who had stood down as a director of Anglo a few months earlier, they were joined for dinner by three other people.
These were Gary McGann, the chief executive of Smurfit Kappa who was a director of Anglo at the time, Alan Gray, an economic consultant who was on the board of the Central Bank, and a third man who was the Taoiseach’s Garda driver.
Mr Cowen said the golf outing and lunch were organised by Mr Drury, an old friend of his.
“It was about being able to sit down with people at the end of the day and having a chat about the economy.
“The deputy will recall we had a mini-budget and saw recession on the horizon and a big slowdown in our economy,” he told Mr Ó Caoláin.
“As Taoiseach, I was there chatting to see if there were ideas and to find out other people’s views of things and to see if things could be done which might be helpful. As the deputy will know, those people would have some views on that. That was basically the total sum of it.”
Last night, Mr Gray, who is managing partner of Indecon economic consultants, issued a statement confirming he was invited to attend an informal dinner with the Taoiseach at Druids Glen on July 28th, 2008. “The purpose of the invitation was to provide independent ideas to stimulate economic growth and to reduce unemployment in Ireland.” He said those present were Mr Cowen, Mr FitzPatrick, Mr Drury, Mr McGann and the Taoiseach’s driver. It was the first time he had met Mr Fitzpatrick.
“At no time when Mr Gray was present at the dinner was there any discussion of banking issues or of Anglo Irish Bank or any related matters. The discussion focused exclusively on initiatives to encourage new small indigenous firms, and measures to attract additional investment to Ireland and other responses to unemployment,” the statement said.
Mr Ó Caoláin said last night the Taoiseach’s credibility was now in tatters. “How are we expected to believe that the crisis in Anglo Irish Bank was not discussed at Druids Glen when the Taoiseach dined with Anglo chairman Seán FitzPatrick as well as one of Anglo’s board of directors, Gary McGann, and Alan Gray, a director of the Central Bank appointed by Mr Cowen, as finance minister, in 2007?”
Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny said Fianna Fáil had brought the country to a point where it “simply is not working”.
