Always curious, The Margin has uncovered some very interesting documentation pertaining to a friendly society registered in the 1970s by Finbarr Ross, the former financier who faces a retrial on fraud-related charges connected to the collapse of his firm International Investments Ltd (IIL) in 1984.
Known as the Irish Investment Society, the business closed in the late 1970s when Mr Ross concentrated his efforts on IIL. Intriguing, however, was a reference in records at the Registrar of Friendly Societies to an Irish Investment Society director known as "A. Reynolds".
Closer inspection of the books revealed that Mr Reynolds' first name was Albert, a fact sufficient to raise an eyebrow and even further curiosity. However, The Margin subsequently learned that this Mr Reynolds was a Londoner, unconnected to the peace process, Fianna Fail, Co Longford and the showband and pet-food industries.
When the matter was raised with the former Taoiseach, Mr Reynolds (the Mr Reynolds) said the only other "Albert" he knew of was a gentleman in north Co Dublin who was inundated with requests for the installation of telephones when he was Minister for Posts and Telegraphs in the heady days of the Haughey era.
And they say Ireland isn't parochial!
