Former Fianna Fáil minister Mary O'Rourke has said she and her nephew, Conor Lenihan, may have "matters of importance" to contribute to the banking inquiry.
Confirming reports that they had sent a legal letter to the clerk of the inquiry committee seeking representation, Ms O'Rourke said the Lenihan voice should be heard at the committee, in reference to her nephew, the late former finance minister Brian Lenihan.
She said otherwise the inquiry was like Hamlet without the prince. However she insisted they were not looking to respond to former taoiseach Brian Cowen, who is due to give evidence.
Ms O’Rourke was speaking to reporters at the annual Fianna Fáil 1916 commemoration at Arbour Hill, Dublin.
‘
Hamlet
without Hamlet’
Asked if they were concerned that Mr Lenihan would not be properly represented at the inquiry, Ms O’Rourke said “it’s
Hamlet
without Hamlet, isn’t it,” adding that everyone else would have their say.
“But we just felt that perhaps the Lenihan voice should be heard in some fashion . . . It’s just that we may have matters that will be of importance and could be listened to.”
Ms O’Rourke said they had not acted in response to Mr Cowen’s remarks. “Our letter was delivered I understand at 3pm on Friday to the clerk of the committee. So we didn’t hear the utterances of Brian Cowen until that night.”
On Friday night, Mr Cowen said there was no question he overruled Mr Lenihan when the latter reportedly argued Anglo Irish Bank and Irish Nationwide should be nationalised instead of including them in the 2008 State bank guarantee.
