THE surprise appointment of Michael McDowell to represent the Moriarty Tribunal at its public hearings is due to be challenged at the High Court later today.

The Curragh Racecourse will honour the memory of Vincent O’Brien with the inaugural running of the Vincent O’Brien National Stakes on Saturday, September 12, it was announced today.

THE Irish tribunal system has been described as the “greatest gravy train in Irish history” after it was revealed that two individual barristers were paid over €8.5 million each out of a total €85m paid over to lawyers.

THE Government has granted Moriarty Tribunal lawyers another temporary extension of their extraordinarily high-fee structure, it confirmed last night.

THE running costs of sitting tribunals will have risen to a staggering €200 million by the end of the year, with legal fees making up the bulk of the spending.

PUBLIC relations consultant Eileen Gleeson told the Moriarty Tribunal yesterday she and the Esat Digifone consortium were surprised by the earlier-than-expected announcement of the winning bid for the country’s second mobile phone licence.

FINANCIER Dermot Desmond “gave us what we wanted” when he agreed to underwrite 60% of Esat Digifone, former consortium non-executive director John Callaghan told the Moriarty Tribunal yesterday.

FORMER Fine Gael minister Sean Barrett told the Moriarty Tribunal yesterday he considered businessman David Austin, who handled a controversial $50,000 Telenor/Esat Telecom donation to the party, to be an honest man.