Interview with Frank Connolly
national |
arts and media |
other press 
Wednesday November 14, 2007 16:14
by Miriam
editors at mediabite dot org
Ireland's only investigative mainstream journalist?
A very interesting and insightful discussion of various aspects of Irish media - in two parts -the second to follow within a few days.
Although he makes no such claim for himself, it's astonishing that mainstream media responsibility for anything approaching thorough investigative journalism where Bertie Ahern and his finances are concerned has fallen almost entirely to Frank Connolly. As Connolly points out in this interview much of the information on which he has based a number of his reports was circulated to all the major news media and yet, ironically, it is the English Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday that has been publishing the full facts. Connolly refers to the Independent on Sunday's recent attacks on himself and on Eamon Dunphy and describes that paper's role in this affair - including the sequence of events before the general election.
http://www.mediabite.org/article_Confronting-Power---Pa....html
Comments (4 of 4)
Jump To Comment: 1 2 3 4http://www.indymedia.ie/article/73427
The thing I most remember Frank Connelly for is his article in "Daily Ireland" dated May 26th 2006 (which can be viewed in full at http://www.corribsos.com/index.php?id=723 ).
Four very revealing extracts (as I see them) from this article are provided below:
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"It has also emerged since the CPI report was published that a deal for the exploration and development of the Dunquin prospect off the south west coast has been hammered out between the world's largest oil company Exxon Mobil and the Irish company, Providence Resources, in which, surprise surprise, Tony O'Reilly personally holds a 45 per cent stake. Providence acquired the exploration licence for the prospect less than two years ago for the princely sum of €11,000 (£7,700)."
"Under the farm out agreement announced early this year Exxon has agreed to invest €100 million (£70 million) to explore and develop any find from a field which is estimated to be worth €20 billion (£14 billion). If these figures are correct, or anywhere near it, O'Reilly stands to make a personal profit of €1.4 billion without adding any value whatsoever to the licence he obtained."
"So how did Mr O’Reilly get such a lucrative hold over the country’s oil and gas wealth? He told Forbes magazine, in an unusually unguarded interview, in September 1983, that his geologist had chosen six blocks of seabed for exploration. 'Since I own 35 per cent of the newspapers in Ireland I have close contact with the politicians. I got the blocks he wanted.' That’s how."
"As is the fact that a spokesperson for the Taoiseach recently told a prominent Dublin journalist that he was 'terrified' of O’Reilly’s other newspaper, the Sunday Independent. "
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Is it true that Frank Connelly has data on Bertie's foreign accounts.? O'Reilly was finished when he and his first wife seperated. She was the bell of the ball in Pittsburg, Their friends were shocked. Everything he touched turned to dust. Plus he got betrayed over Waterford Crystal, Bertie again. When the push came to shove he was gone. Sad for the workers, Dennis O'Brian did nothing, any one of us would not have done. He's a wheeler dealer. And yet ,they, the Elite, want to destroy him, why?. I bet it's because O'Reilly wants to sue the state over losing out to Esat. Speaking about the so called Elite. Friends, Look up Gleeson's involvement with the DeBeers legal case in Crown Court London. In Donegal, he, Gleeson blames Fitzgearld, Well investors in A.I.B. did not lose money in Anglo they lost money in A.I.B. And who the hell is Sutherland, Jesuit Gonzaga educated. I believe the serious Fraud Squad, in U.K. has their eyes on him over mis-information in his role at RBS. And then he's on the the T.V. telling us how to handle things. Jesus, people are killng themselves because they can't pay their bills. Let's give Cowen a chance. Brian Lennihan is a bright spark, let's give him a chance also.Remember we have got rid of Bertie, Lawlor, Burke, Pee Wee,. That's a cleansing, in new age lingo. God bless Ireland, and let's think clear and vote yes to Lisbon. The alternative is a nightmare, we can not afford. Alex.
EXCELLENT ALEX. COULD NOT AGREE WITH YOU MORE. THE "ELITE" HERE IS NOT THE FBI CIA KGB MI5 MI6 MASONS ITS HAUGHEY AND HIS FRIENDS. GO FOR IT ALEX. I AGREE OVER LISBON. WERE THIRD WORLD IF WE DONT VOTE YES. BEST WISHES S.G.
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