Ex-partner calls Irvine a 'coward' in legal row

RETIRED motor racing star Eddie Irvine has been branded "a coward" by his former business partner in a further escalation of a bitter legal row between the one-time best friends.

Dublin businessman John Foley yesterday told the Employment Appeals Tribunal (EAT) that the former Formula One driver was a coward over his failure to appear as a witness at the hearing.

Mr Foley is taking a case for unfair dismissal against a company he co-owns with Mr Irvine called Calview Investments. It runs two of Dublin's best-known pubs, including the upmarket Cocoon bar off Grafton Street.