How Bertie rose to power with the Drumcondra Mafia
IT'S impossible to look at the story of Bertie Ahern's political career without reference to the small cabal that was by his side throughout. You see, it was never just Bertie Ahern. It was always Bertie Ahern and the Drumcondra Mafia.
The Drumcondra Mafia was not a political party -- incredibly many of them weren't even members of Fianna Fail -- but it succeeded in putting its man in the most powerful office in the land.
Money is of central importance to their story. The formidable constituency machine it built was the best funded in the history of the State -- helped by an annual dinner that assumed almost mythical status. And money, of course, was central to Mr Ahern's downfall. It took the best part of two years for it to happen, but the discovery that large sums had flown either through his own bank accounts or those of his associates, and the less than convincing explanations he subsequently gave, led directly to his resignation as Taoiseach.
St Luke's, the routine two-storey red-brick former doctor's surgery across the road from Fagan's pub, was the nerve centre of the Drumcondra Mafia operation. With the ministerial Merc parked outside on the footpath, it became the physical manifestation of Mr Ahern's power base. For a decade, it was effectively the alternative seat of government. And the building was to feature heavily in the investigation into Mr Ahern's finances.
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