The cost of funding public tribunals and commissions of inquiry into wrongdoing by state agencies and individuals will reach close to €500m by the end of this year.

Last Sunday morning, I boarded an Aer Lingus flight from Dublin to New York’s JFK airport.

Leo Varadkar has rejected he has a credibility problem having admitted he canvassed controversial TD Michael Lowry for support when he was about to become Taoiseach.

Ireland’s largest publishing firm, the stock market-listed Independent News and Media, has been thrown into crisis amid serious allegations by the State’s corporate enforcer that include claims of governance misdeeds and email hacks.

There was a time when, as a journalist, you were almost afraid to say Denis O’Brien’s name out loud given his penchant for taking people to court, writes Alison O’Connor

The Press Ombudsman Peter Feeney has described the possibility that emails at Independent News & Media (INM) were accessed by an external company as “deeply disturbing”.

The Data Protection Commissioner (DPC) will investigate whether personal data was accessed in the alleged data breach at Independent News and Media (INM).

The Moriarty Tribunal, into certain ‘Payments to Politicians and Related Matters’, was established in 1997 and took nearly 14 years to reach its conclusions — and even after that decade-plus commitment to thoroughness some of its findings remain contested and are still the subject of Supreme Court proceedings.

It has emerged the Criminal Assets Bureau requested information from AIB as part of an investigation into businessman Denis O'Brien and former Communications Minister Michael Lowry.

Almost €22m of taxpayers’ money will be spent by the end of the year on just six of the 15 investigations and tribunals that have been announced by Government.

Calls have been made on Michael Lowry to step aside from an Oireachtas committee because of his perceived links to businessman Denis O’Brien.

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Billionaire businessman Denis O’Brien has lost an appeal against a 2011 High Court decision dismissing his claim that the Moriarty Tribunal had incorrectly restricted cross-examination of a key witness at its public hearings.

Denis O'Brien has lost his Supreme Court challenge to a High Court ruling relating to a key witness in the Moriarty Tribunal.

Research into newspapers owned by billionaire businessman Denis O’Brien shows he received less critical coverage in his own titles when he was embroiled in controversies.

Good afternoon. Here’s all the news you need to know this lunchtime.

“I was happy to be moved by the tears of the Magdalene women.”

MICHAEL LOWRY yesterday lost a High Court bid to stop his trial on tax charges.

Independent TD Michael Lowry is facing another legal bill over his failed bid to get a High Court order that the Moriarity Tribunal pay millions of euro for the legal costs of his participation in that inquiry.

Hats off to Fergus Finlay for his statement that “...politics is corrupt, public administration is corrupt, and democracy is dead”.

Taoiseach Enda Kenny has flatly ruled out relying on the support of Independent TD Michael Lowry to make up the numbers to form a government.

Renua Ireland believes it will hold the balance of power after the election.

If I had a 1,000 votes I would not give even one to Fine Gael for the following reasons:

LAST Wednesday, Mr Justice John Hedigan reminded us of how the Moriarty Tribunal concluded that Michael Lowry’s contributions to that investigation were “a litany of falsification and deception”.

Michael Lowry has said his legal team is already preparing an appeal against the High Court’s decision to dismiss the independent TD’s challenge to the Moriarty Tribunal’s decision to only award him one third of his legal costs.

Tánaiste Joan Burton has caved to pressure from her own ministers and ruled out a post-election deal with independent TD Michael Lowry, four days after the controversy erupted.

Former Minister and Independent TD Michael Lowry has hit out at comments from Health Minister Leo Varadkar who said he has “issues with the law,” saying Mr Varadkar should desist from such commentary having made “a mess” of the health service.

The Taoiseach and Tánaiste have repeatedly refused to rule out doing a deal with independent TD Michael Lowry after the election.

ANY child of seven instinctively knows right from wrong. It doesn’t mean they will always do the right thing, but they will invariably know when it should be done.

A consulting company has told the High Court that billionaire businessman Denis O’Brien has left “clouded in mystery” exactly how material from the firm’s computer files ended up on a USB stick placed in an envelope sent anonymously to Mr O’Brien.

It’s just as well the forces of law and order were asleep when FF and FG were collecting, writes Michael Clifford

The opposition TD who claimed Denis O’Brien extended his IBRC loans after threatening legal action has insisted the allegation is accurate, and warned he will make more information public if necessary.

WHEN a person stands for election to any forum they can expect a considerable degree of scrutiny. Their objectives are questioned. Their record and abilities are examined in an intrusive and unforgiving way. If they have skeletons in the cupboard, even very small ones, they will be dragged into the full, merciless glare of public judgment and criticism.