Profile, Emily O'Reilly: published May 26, 2013

When Charlie McCreevy first told Bertie Ahern that he intended to appoint Emily O’Reilly as ombudsman, Ahern’s immediate reaction was: “Ah jaysus, Charlie . . .”

The finance minister would often try the patience of the Taoiseach; Ahern was only at a very late stage made aware of many of the measures in McCreevy’s budgets. But he was pushing the envelope with this one.

The Taoiseach’s top officials were similarly horrified. When the ...