The Ronaldo of Irish finance

What was it like being Derek Quinlan during the boom years?

Derek Quinlan took a stroll down memory lane at the banking inquiry last week Picture: Maura Hickey
Derek Quinlan took a stroll down memory lane at the banking inquiry last week Picture: Maura Hickey

David Drumm was hosting a lunch for one of his most treasured clients in Restaurant Patrick Guilbaud.

It was in the final years of the boom, and the not long-installed chief executive of Anglo Irish Bank was eager to impress Derek Quinlan, the man who had become an investment sage for Ireland’s wealthy.

Prior to the lunch in ...