A senior policy adviser to the Tánaiste, Mr Maurice Roche, remained critically ill last night after suffering very serious head injuries in a horse riding accident on Friday, writes Mark Brennock.
Mr Roche (48) fell from his horse at Brittas Bay, Co Wicklow, on Friday, and was flown by helicopter to Tallaght hospital. His wife, Eileen, family members and friends were at his bedside last night.
The most influential policy adviser in Ms Harney's team, Mr Roche specialises in economic policy and is seen as a man of outstanding intellectual ability. He began working with the PDs in 1995 as a policy researcher, before being appointed Ms Harney's political adviser when the PDs entered government with Fianna Fáil in 1997.
A qualified teacher, Mr Roche worked as a civil servant in the Departments of Finance and Foreign Affairs. He worked in journalism for a period, and spent time as an analyst with Reuters. He also worked for Goodbody stockbrokers.