Aidan O'Brien in tax settlement

Champion Irish horse trainer Aidan O’Brien has made a tax settlement with the Revenue for over half a million euro.

The director of Carriganog Stud in Piltown, Co Kilkenny, was among the top 10 biggest settlements on the latest defaulters’ list.

The largest was Eassda Ireland, the golf course and resort developer that folded last year with debts of €33 million. It made a €3.6 million settlement with the Revenue this year.

Details of a total of 114 settlements were published today. Revenue audits and investigations yielded a total of €113 million in the three months ended June 30th. The settlements published in today's list total €26 million.

O’Brien settled a bill for €526,077 following an investigation into tax evasion on offshore assets.

The former champion amateur rider, who is now master at the Ballydoyle Stable, has trained a winner in almost every major flat race in Ireland and Britain, and celebrated successes in France and the United States.

The settlement, made under the name of Whisperview Trading Ltd, included unpaid tax of almost €177,640 and interest and penalties of nearly €348,500.

Co Antrim based Eassda Ireland is the developer of two golf courses and resorts, Moyvalley in Kildare and the New Forest in Meath.

It has been in receivership since it went under last year owing €33 million to three banks, Ulster, Northern and Bank of Ireland. It made a settlement of €3.6 million relating to under-declaration of contracts tax.

The next largest settlement was Kieran Kenny, of Sutton, Dublin, a director of a number of transport and logistics businesses, who paid €1.2 million in respect of under declaration of income tax, VAT and capital gains tax.

The list also featured every person who had a fine or other penalty imposed by a court for failure to file a return, filing an incorrect return, illegally selling of tobacco, cigarette smuggling, or an excise or licensing offence.

Among those was charity campaigner, property developer and publican Niall Mellon who was fined €700 for failing to hold a current liquor licence at his premises Taylors Three Rock on Grange Road, Rathfarnham.

The Revenue publishes its defaulters' list once every three months.

Additional reporting: PA