In October 1990, in the midst of the presidential election, FitzGerald was to be a guest, alongside Lenihan, on RTÉ1's Questions and Answers political debate programme.

Duffy became the subject of mounting political and media pressure, with his silence being spun by Fianna Fáil press staff as evidence that the rumours that Lenihan had confirmed to him that he had made calls were false.

) After three days of intense political and media pressure, Duffy released the relevant proportion of the on-the-record tape interview he had done with Lenihan.

He was a member of a family political dynasty ; his father, Patrick Lenihan, and sister both followed him into Dáil Éireann ; his sister Mary O ' Rourke sitting in cabinet with him.

Subsequently, it was reported in books by authors Stephen O ' Byrnes and Raymond Smith, and by many political journalists in newspaper articles ( some of whom had Lenihan as their source ) that Lenihan had been one of the people who had made phone calls to Áras an Uachtaráin, the President's official residence, on the night in question, in order to persuade or pressurise Hillery to refuse a dissolution.

When Lenihan's campaign manager, Bertie Ahern, named Duffy on radio as someone who had interviewed Lenihan back in May, a political storm erupted in which the journalist was put under siege by the media and Fianna Fáil, leading to his reluctant decision, after consulting with lawyers, to release the portion of the tape in which Lenihan talked about the events of January 1982.

He was a colourful and charming character and his heavy drinking exploits with fellow ministers Charles Haughey and Brian Lenihan have become part of Irish political folklore.

Lenihan began his working life as a newspaper journalist working in the 1980s in the House of Commons in London where he was a political correspondent for the Irish News.

In the wake of this controversy, May asked Lenihan not to launch the book " because I am so embarrassed that the Minister for Science has been so insulted " and " eviscerated " on a political website.

Lenihan had actually confirmed his involvement in the effort some months earlier in an on-the-record interview with a journalist Jim Duffy, as he had to numerous political colleagues privately over eight years.

Six One established its own place in political history when the expected winner of the 1990 presidential election campaign, Tánaiste Brian Lenihan delivered what was universally accepted to be a disastrous live response to a crisis in his campaign.

In a statement on 30 March 2010, a day before Anglo Irish Bank reported its financial results, the Minister Of Finance, Brian Lenihan announced an injection of € 8. 3 billion into the bank, noting that a further € 10 billion may be required at a later stage to cover future losses and ensure an adequate capital base.

Together with undersea archaeologist Daniel Lenihan, Hackman has written three historical fiction novels: Wake of the Perdido Star ( 1999 ), a sea adventure of the 19th century, Justice for None ( 2004 ), a Depression-era tale of murder, and Escape from Andersonville ( 2008 ) about a prison escape during the Civil War.

Three candidates had been nominated in the 1990 presidential election: the then Tánaiste, Brian Lenihan from Fianna Fáil ( widely viewed as the certain winner ), Austin Currie from Fine Gael and Mary Robinson from Labour.

In the aftermath, the minority party in the coalition government, the Progressive Democrats indicated that unless Lenihan resigned from cabinet, they would resign from government and support an opposition motion of no confidence in Dáil Éireann, bringing down the government and causing a general election.

Lenihan became the only candidate from his party to date to lose the presidency, having begun the campaign as the apparent certain winner.

The revelations, and the discovery that Hillery had stood up to pressure from former cabinet colleagues, including his close friend Brian Lenihan, back in 1982 increased Hillery's standing substantially.

He first achieved prominence in 1990 when the contents of his on-the-record interview with then Tánaiste Brian Lenihan, in which Lenihan admitted making calls to the residence of the Irish president seeking to speak to President Hillery to urge him to refuse a Dáil dissolution in controversial circumstances ( something he had previously denied ), led to Lenihan's dismissal from government, his defeat in that year's Irish presidential election and the unexpected election of the left wing liberal Mary Robinson as President of Ireland.

Lenihan went on to become the first candidate from his party ever to lose an Irish presidential election, with the Irish Labour Party candidate, Mary Robinson, eventually winning the office.

Initially, Fianna Fáil's Brian Lenihan had been favourite to win, however after a number of controversies arising from the brief Fianna Fáil administration of 1981 – 82, and Lenihan's dismissal as Minister for Defence mid-way through the campaign, the Labour Party's Mary Robinson emerged victorious.

Lenihan carried the legislative programme, covering everything from repealing mediæval laws to granting succession rights to married women.

In 1973, Lenihan was appointed a member of the second delegation from the Oireachtas to the European Parliament.

Speculation abounded that this was part of a plan to discourage other parties from running candidates in the belief that Lenihan would prove unbeatable and so get the office unopposed.

Lenihan was generally perceived as an unbeatable candidate, though he did receive a late challenge for the nomination from cabinet colleague John Wilson.

Lenihan refused to sign, and Haughey formally advised President Hillery to dismiss Lenihan from the government-which Hillery, as was required constitutionally, duly did, despite grave personal concerns.

O ' Rourke's father Patrick Lenihan served as a TD for Longford – Westmeath from 1965 – 70.

Another brother Paddy Lenihan was a Fianna Fáil councillor in Roscommon but resigned from FF in 1983 and became associated with Neil Blaneys Independent Fianna Fáil party.

On 24 January, Finance Minister Brian Lenihan met with delegations from Fine Gael, Labour, and the Greens, striking a final deal.

After Hanafin and Lenihan had been eliminated from the contest and their surplus votes distributed, Martin emerged with 50 votes and was duly elected the eighth leader of Fianna Fáil.

Lenihan won the nomination but failed to be elected President and was also sacked from the government.

This followed on from the outrage caused when Duffy was held responsible by Finance Minister, Brian Lenihan, for inciting widespread public fear that Irish citizens were on the verge of losing their savings.

Three years later Lenihan contested the 1957 general election, this time in the Roscommon constituency.

His son Brian Lenihan had been elected in the neighbouring constituency of Roscommon at the previous election in 1961.

His plan to merge Trinity College, Dublin and University College Dublin aroused huge controversy and was not successful, despite being supported by his cabinet colleague Brian Lenihan.

During this period in opposition he was heavily involved in key election strategies, most notably in the Dublin West by-election which was won by Brian Lenihan, Jnr.

In 1996, he campaigned against local authority water and refuse charges and contested the Dublin West by-election, eventually losing narrowly to Brian Lenihan, Jnr.

Lenihan was born in Dublin.

* 3 March — Conor Lenihan, Fianna Fáil TD for Dublin South – West and Minister of State

* 21 May-Brian Lenihan, Fianna Fáil TD for Dublin West and Minister for Finance.

Born in Dundalk, County Louth, Lenihan was the son of Patrick Lenihan and Anne Scanlon.

Mary Lenihan was born in Athlone, County Westmeath.