Stealth minister slips below radar

OUTGOING Defence Minister Tony Killeen was a bit like the stealth bomber of the Cabinet — nobody really knew he was there, but colleagues were comforted by his presence none the less.

Unusually for a minister in this most ugly of Dáils, Mr Killeen was widely liked across the political spectrum, especially in his native Clare where it is hard to find an adversary who has a bad word to say about him personally.

But it can hardly be said that the ex-teacher lit up the national stage when he was finally elevated to the Cabinet last year after 18 years in the Oireachtas.