Denis, the Dáil and democracy: how he lost his latest legal fight

Media tycoon Denis O’Brien suffered a knock-back on Friday when a court held that utterances made in the Dáil are still constitutionally protected

Denis O’Brien at the Four Courts in Dublin at the opening of his case Picture: Fergal Phillips

Gone was the fanfare of the hearing last December; gone were the protesters outside the packed court as telecoms tycoon Denis O’Brien arrived to give evidence of the chilling death threats he had received in the wake of disclosures about his private banking affairs.

Tucked away in the obscure and rather tiny Court 19 in Áras Úi Dhálaigh last Friday, Ms Justice Úna Ní Raifeartaigh delivered a clear, considered and largely inevitable ruling ...