AN English solicitor who had previously refused to give evidence to the Moriarty Tribunal made a surprise appearance before a hastily convened sitting of the inquiry at Dublin Castle yesterday.

A DERELICT Cork city quay is to be transformed into a €500 million urban quarter and major transport hub within 10 years, it emerged last night.

DEPUTY Michael Lowry disclosed yesterday how he took out a second mortgage on his Co Tipperary home to meet a €1,434,324 tax bill due to the Revenue Commissioners.

MICHAEL LOWRY asked the son of former Taoiseach Garret FitzGerald to intervene on behalf of Ben Dunne in rent negotiations on a building in Dublin’s north inner city, the Moriarty Tribunal heard yesterday.

A critical omission was made in the criteria for the second GSM mobile telephone licence shortly after Michael Lowry became Minister for Transport, Energy and Communications in December 1994.

The Moriarty Tribunal began sitting publicly yesterday for the first time since last October. It spent the better part of a year investigating property deals in Britain involving the former Minister for Transport, Energy and Communications, Michael Lowry, and Denis O'Brien.

Former Fine Gael minister Michael Lowry secured reductions of £40m for Ryanair, according to reports.