Relentless pressure blamed

AHERN BROTHERS:RELENTLESS PRESSURE and distractions regarding personal finances and the Mahon tribunal were catalysts in Bertie Ahern's decision to resign, his brother Noel Ahern said yesterday.

Mr Ahern, Minister of State with responsibility for the Office of Public Works, said the Taoiseach's decision came because these matters were distracting Government from challenges that lie ahead, such as the Lisbon Treaty.

Mr Ahern said he was surprised by the decision, but while there have been times when he and his brother had disagreed, the Taoiseach's decisions were usually vindicated.

"He is the far more experienced, calmer and more thinking decision-maker than I would be. He has decided this now, so it does not matter what I think one way or another," he told RTÉ Radio One.

Meanwhile, another brother, Dublin councillor Maurice Ahern, said it was "bullshit" that Bertie Ahern received any money from Owen O'Callaghan. He claimed the media "went for the jugular" with its coverage of the Taoiseach's finances.

"There was a very upsetting article by Miriam Lord in The Irish Times on Easter Saturday when she said, 'you must be proud of yourself, Bertie', as though Bertie had a choice as to whether Gráinne Carruth was called before the tribunal or not. If Bertie had said she wasn't to go or didn't want her there, you'd hear them howling as to why he was persuading her not to go," he told Newstalk.

Miriam Ahern, the Taoiseach's separated wife, issued a brief statement following the announcement of his decision to resign. "I'm sad about Bertie leaving office at the moment and I'm very proud of what he has achieved," she said.