Banking Inquiry: Cowen attended Anglo function before taking office

Brian Cowen attended a private Anglo Irish function a month after the St Patrick’s Day 2008 Irish stock exchange crisis and a fortnight before becoming taoiseach, but insisted he was never lobbied for a bank guarantee.

The former Fianna Fáil leader spoke for the first time in depth about the “social” meeting and his interactions with developers as he insisted the September 2008 decision to bail out the banks was the “least worst option” and if not taken could have seen Ireland “set back 25 years”.

Speaking at a marathon meeting of the cross-party banking inquiry, the one-time TD confirmed he was brought to the April 2008 function by his late friend and Anglo Irish non-executive director Fintan Drury.