EDDIE O'Connor also lost his job as Bord na Mona boss after one of the most unseemly boardroom squabbles seen in years or at least since the CIE one a few years earlier.

After an extraordinary sequence of late night board meeting, Dr O'Connor eventually agreed an undisclosed settlement package with the board. The initial revelation putting O'Connor under pressure came in a report drawn up by - you guessed it - Price Waterhouse, at the request of the board.

They had looked at the arrangements reached between Dr O'Connor and previous chairman Brendan Halligan, which included some unvouched expenses. New chairman Pat Dineen was unhappy with the arrangement and a clash between the two followed, with the board splitting into various factions. After months of toing and froing, the Cabinet decided to suspend Dr O'Connor on full pay and later negotiated a deal allowing him to depart.