Begrudgery towards Tony O’Reilly is misplaced

IRISH people have a regrettable tendency to gloat over the misfortunes of others, especially when the target of their begrudgery is a person who has achieved greater success in life than themselves. 

So, there is no doubt certain people were gloating yesterday as former billionaire Tony O’Reilly, once Ireland’s richest man, was due to apply for bankruptcy in the Bahamas, where he has lived since the 1990s.

If ever there was a case of this peculiar form of warped pleasure being misplaced, it concerns the financial troubles of the former rugby star who became the first Irish businessman to head up one of the biggest companies in the world, the multinational conglomerate Heinz.