Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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I am looking at the article now. It reported how Professor Byrne was on the on the back foot and how the then Minister for Education, Deputy Ruairí Quinn, and the then Department Secretary General, Ms Brigid McManus, were briefed on the situation. In their judgment, Professor Byrne had to go. The article says:

Said one senior figure: “The idea of Byrne or his crew being chauffeured back and forth to Dublin really sticks in the craw.’’

The problem was that neither the Department nor the Higher Education Authority could interfere in the appointments process. But the WIT board was left in no doubt about what the Minister wanted.

On Wednesday of last week , Byrne was asked to fall on his sword during a meeting with a senior education official.

That senior official at that meeting was Mr. Boland.