Brian Cowen and Brian Lenihan put country before party with economic crash decisions, says Willie O’Dea

A senior Fianna Fáil TD has controversially claimed former taoiseach Brian Cowen and the late former finance minister Brian Lenihan “put country before party” in the decisions they imposed during the economic crash.

Picture credit: Daniel McConnell, right, political editor the ‘Irish Examiner’ and John Lee, political editor the ‘Irish Mail on Sunday’, listen to comments from Fianna Fáil’s Willie O’Dea, who officially launched their book ‘Hell at the Gates’ in Dublin last night. Picture: Moya Nolan

Social protection spokesman Willie O’Dea made the remark at the launch of a best-selling book chronicling the inside Government story of Ireland’s financial downfall.