“ I knew that there were contrasting, competing narratives, and that penetrating that accusation and counter accusation was going to be really difficult. But it was a story that needed to be told”
In June 2024, in Limerick, John Moran became Ireland’s first directly elected mayor.
It wasn’t just a new role – it was a political experiment. Powers were being decentralised for the first time in more than a century. Moran, a high-profile former secretary general of the Department of Finance and a former banker, ran as an Independent and outflanked the political establishment.
And from the start, it wasn’t smooth sailing. Conflicts with councillors, clashes with senior officials, high-profile disputes.
So, just what is going on?
For the past three months, Alan English has conducted more than 40 interviews and spoken to dozens of other people involved, including the key protagonists.
Ahead of a landmark three-part investigation to be published this week on The Currency, English joins Ian Kehoe in the studio to discuss the key issues, the central characters, and why he was reluctant to take on the project initially.
