A libel action taken by the Tánaiste, Ms Harney, against the Sunday Independentnewspaper has been settled in the High Court.
In an apology read to the court this morning, the newspaper said an article published on its front page in January 2001 with the headline "Corrupt Builders gave Harney money" did not intend to suggest she had received corrupt payments, as she had alleged.
The paper acknowledged the Tánaiste's "excellent character and integrity".
Ms Harney received an undisclosed sum of money in the settlement, which she will be using to cover legal costs, donating the remainder to charity.
Speaking outside the court, Ms Harney said: "The article was extraordinarily damaging. It suggested I was involved in corrupt practices and this was the only way I could vindicate my name.
"I sought an apology within a week of that article appearing and it wasn't forthcoming, so the only way I could vindicate my good name, which is important to me, was to take this libel action.
"Clearly I'm very happy with the unreserved apology, because that is what I sought from the very outset. It is a pity it has taken so long," she added.