NAMA-LAND
The Inside Story of Ireland’s Property Sell-Off and the Creation of a New Elite.
The National Asset Management Agency (NAMA) was created in 2009 to contain the spiralling fallout from Ireland's property crisis. It was to be Ireland's 'bad bank', an impartial agency where depressed assets could be revalued and sold on to the highest bidder. Eight years on, the Irish economy is once again beginning to buzz, and NAMA has presided over the transfer of over €70 billion in assets. It is regularly touted, by its founders in Leinster House and elsewhere, as a key component in Ireland's recovery.
But the basic arithmetic of assets sold hides a multitude of sins. Beneath NAMA's veneer of impartiality lies a world built on political patronage and nepotism, rife with conflicts of interest and vulnerable to shocking instances of corruption, where political influence and mismanagement has handed the initiative to a small coterie of international venture capitalists and created a vibrant trade in state secrets.
Here, and for the first time, bestselling investigative journalist Frank Connolly unravels the scandal at the heart of NAMA's mission. Based on exclusive interviews with insiders and witnesses to every aspect of the agency's function, NAMA-land is the shocking story of how political recklessness conspired to disinherit the Irish people and empower a new global elite.
Tom Gilmartin
The Man Who Brought Down a Taoiseach and Exposed the Greed and Corruption at the Heart of Irish Politics
A successful property developer in England, the Sligo-born Tom Gilmartin had ambitious plans for major retail developments in Dublin in the late 1980s. Little did he know that in order to do business in the city, senior politicians and public officials would want a slice of the action … in large amounts of cash.
Gilmartin blew the whistle on corruption at the heart of government and the city’s planning system, and the fallout from his claims ultimately led to the resignation of the Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern, in 2008.
This is a compelling narrative of official wrong-doing and abuse of office. It exposes the roots of the political and financial disaster that has wreaked havoc in the lives of so many Irish people.
'The outstanding non-fiction book of the year’ - Irish Independent
Political book of the year - The Sunday Times
Irish book of the year - RTÉ’s Liveline
A Conspiracy Of Lies
A NOVEL
The Three big bangs shook Dublin in May 1974.
Angie and Joe meet in the wake of the single worst atrocity of the Troubles. Brought together by the effect of the bombings on their lives, these two young people set out on a quest to discover who is responsible, facing confrontation with dark forces in Irish and British society.
This thriller is set among the cultural and political life of Dublin in the 1970s. Angie and Joe's relationship deepens as they delve into the shocking political and criminal landscape surrounding those in high places with the blood of innocents on their hands. But the more they find out, the deeper they become embroiled in a world they don't understand, and the consequences could be devastating.
About the Author
Investigative Journalist & BESTSELLING AUTHOR.
Frank Connolly is one of Ireland's most distinguished investigative journalists and the author of the acclaimed bestseller Tom Gilmartin: The Man Who Brought Down a Taoiseach. He is currently Head of Communications at SIPTU, and is a regular contributor to print and broadcast media. He lives in Dublin.
