Elaine Loughlin: In Deirdre Gillane, Watt chose the wrong adviser to cross

A key strategist in Micheál Martin’s inner circle and rarely in the headlines, Deirdre Gillane's rebuke of Robert Watt put her firmly in the spotlight

Deirdre Gillane was described as 'a very affable woman but when it comes to business, she understands politics very well and does not mince her words.'

Senior civil servants and government advisers usually prefer to remain in the background, wielding quiet, anonymous authority. Not this week.

Deirdre Gillane’s strident — and now publicly available — rebuke of Robert Watt’s version of events around Dr Tony Holohan’s botched secondment was box office for political fans.