Colm McGrath's performance was assured, writes Paul Cullen.
The man popularly dubbed as "Mr Insatiable" since Frank Dunlop's evidence to the tribunal strolled into Dublin Castle yesterday as though he were on holiday, not facing a grilling in the witness box.
Colm McGrath faces almost as many allegations before this tribunal as Liam Lawlor, but you wouldn't know it from his demeanour.
Dressed in a casual short-sleeved shirt, Mr McGrath arrived alone, having dispensed with legal representation a long time ago. With an almost weary insouciance, he declared he had "neither the time nor the inclination" to read the files sent to him by the tribunal, though he did admit to a quick "flick" to see what they looked like.
Mr McGrath was as good an advertisement as you could get for not having a lawyer. His evidence was more assured and better judged than that of many of his colleagues who had previously occupied the witness box.
Having unbalanced the tribunal early on with his allegation that confidential information in its possession had been leaked to Fianna Fáil, Mr McGrath pressed home his advantage during the day.
At various times he accused tribunal counsel John Gallagher of "nitpicking".
Mr McGrath was articulate and steadfast in his defence of his reasons for supporting the rezoning at Carrickmines. This land was "eminently suitable" for development. It was a matter of zoning, not planning.
For once, it was a councillor's turn to tell a colourful story of how money was paid over, as Mr McGrath related how he received a copy of The Irish Times bulging with £2,000 in cash from Mr Dunlop.
He recalled how a meeting with Mr Dunlop in 1999 ended when the latter felt he was being followed. The two men had arranged to meet in a pub near the M50 to discuss how to categorise the various contributions made by Mr Dunlop.
"Frank was distracted by two men who he felt were following him," Mr McGrath told the tribunal in a letter. Suspecting they were plainclothes gardaí, he decided to end the meeting. The two men left in separate cars and Mr Dunlop took their registration numbers. He later rang Mr McGrath to confirm they were gardaí.
Mr Insatiable? It was more like "Mr Sensational".
